Sabrina
by Pikablukachu
Summary: (Sequel to "Erika") A story of the events between FR/LG and HG/SS from Sabrina's point of view, finally continued! Sabrina found the inspiration to change in the Champion and in her girlfriend, but her single greatest inspiration may be even closer than she realises.
1. (redacted)

**Special Thanks + Art Credit: **The adorable art you see in the thumbnail is once again by my friend Kagura, whos supported my femmegymshipping bs for almost two years now. I commissioned it from her and I love her stuff in general, please check her out at kaguras-art on Tumblr or kaguras_art on Instagram and Twitter!

**_(Notes: Thank you all so SO much for your Follows and Favourites on "Erika"! The sequel is finally here!_**

**_Even though it was one of my very first fanworks, I still look back on it and the story I built around Sabrina and Erika really fondly, and I'm so happy that others enjoyed it too despite the shaky start. What better way to celebrate than finally posting the continuation? So here it is! I said I'd return to finish the story, and it took me a little while while I wrote a bunch of Touhou stuff, but it's finally happening! I wonder if my writing has improved in the year since writing "Erika"?_**

**_Originally, this was going to simply be called "Erika Part 2", but I decided I wanted this to be more than just 'finishing off an unfinished story'. Instead, it'll have a slightly different, slightly more adventurous feel as events and characters drive Sabrina's character arc. Of course Erika's role hasn't been downsized at all either._**

**_\- Chapter uploads will be once every two weeks (to stop myself from stressing out over having not written enough)_****_  
_****_\- There will be a glossary of unfamiliar terms at the end of each chapter (when appropriate)_**

**Feedback:** I'm seriously not interested in reviewer drama or anything. I'd really appreciate if you kept reviews and comments to being about the work itself. **If you consider visiting my review page just to argue with someone else or perpetuate drama I'm not involved in, don't bother** \- because I don't appreciate it. If it gets really bad, I'll stop posting Pokémon stuff here completely.

Anyway, I'm happy with both constructive and positive feedback.

**_Enough hype, please enjoy!)_**

* * *

**x**

* * *

I bask in red, orange glow.

The flames suffocate every inch of my consciousness. Burn effortlessly through my soul. Threaten to engulf everything.

It's- overwhelming.

I'm not supposed to be here.

Inspiration? No... I've felt 'inspiration' before. I know it intimately. It's a passionate, blazing sensation.

Warming, fulfilling.

This... isn't the same.

This _hurts_.

This scorches. Scalds. _Sears_.

Mercilessly, soullessly, it consumes its obstacles without prejudice.

I'm in... danger?

Help...

**H-help me...!**

Bubbling. Deluging. Flowing.

I-I... I can't breathe...!?

Water. Water... I need _water_!

My throat's reaction is delayed. My body suddenly becomes cognisant of its shock. Every sense jolts in panic at once.

"_-GASP- -cough, cough cough_-" my body forced itself to try and breathe in sharply for air "_-cough, COUGH **COUGH COUGH**-_" my throat wheezed with physical strain.

Wh-where...!?

My eyes shot open, my hand instinctively rushing to my neck as I sprang up, gasping desperately for air. It was pitch black, my head was pounding mercilessly, my eyes thumping achingly in their sockets.

I felt like I might literally explode, an unfathomable pressure rising up within me.

'_Wh-where am I!? What's going on!?_'

I felt my free hand around in a panic. I needed something to hold onto. To get some kind of bearing on my surroundings. My situation. I clutched at something... it was wooden. I gripped tightly and clutched my chest with the other hand as my coughing fit continued.

"Hey...! Sabrina!" I heard a voice call at me faintly through the deafening bubbling of my head. I distantly felt something comforting stroking my back. "Do you need water? Or do you want me to stay here?"

"W-water..." I was able to coax out from my throat, in between the burning gasps. As the words found their way out of my throat, I felt something boiling hot worming its way up through my gullet, through my windpipe.

No... not just in my throat, but my brain, too. My head... A-Arceus, my _head_!

I coughed and I coughed, but the searing, flowing heat remained inside me. It endlessly bubbled up, relentlessly, painfully.

'_Why can't I breathe!?_"

She returned to my side and pressed a cool glass into my hand, cupping her hand over mine securely. "Can you hold it yourself?"

I nodded. I carefully gripped the glass in my shaking hand, and drank.

...

Erika leant her head against mine, her arms wrapped securely around me as we sat on my futon. She had placed a rather comical number of glasses on my wooden nightstand - all filled with water. Well, there was an odd glass of Moomoo Milk there too. Just in case.

I had finally regained some of my composure, yet I still clutched my excruciating throat. I wheezed a deep, strained breath in... then out.

"It feels like there's a damn Slugma in my throat." I croaked, wincing. The image of the room around me had at least come into focus now, and I could see Erika tilting her head, biting her lip with concern.

To be honest, the sight of her and of my own room played a significant part in helping me to calm. She had just come back again with a bowl of cold water and a damp cloth - after already supplying me with so many cool drinks.

But when she placed her cool, gentle hand on my forehead... her expression only grew even more confused. I raised an eyebrow, signalling for her to explain what was on her mind.

"Your head feels fine, honey." she scrunched her mouth as she continued to anxiously bite her lip. My rasped breathing was still strained, though.

"Breathe out for me?" she held a hand near my face, and a hand near her own. I once again raised an eyebrow. "I could tell you where I keep the thermometer." I grinned weakly.

"I'm too worried to rush around looking for things, just do this for me first." she lectured me. As instructed, I breathed out meekly onto her hand. At the same time, she breathed out onto her own hand.

"Mm?" Erika stared at me, concern very much still evident in her expression. "Your breath isn't really any hotter than mine. That is to say... it feels normal."

I stared down at my chest and clutched at it with my fist. It still felt like it was burning. Before I knew it, I was subconsciously grinding my teeth.

"Sweetie." Erika gripped my shoulder and stared at me, a candid nervousness in her eyes. "Try... focusing on the bracelets."

"You think this is...?" I pouted a little at her. I didn't intend to show that I was hurt by her implication, but admittedly I _was_ in a vulnerable mood.

"J-just... try it?" she gave my shoulder a squeeze. "This is unusual, so... you never know, right?"

Well... she was right. It was _extremely_ unusual. And...

I trusted Erika, of all people, after everything we had been through, to be honest with me about my powers. I trusted her when she said my forehead felt fine, that my breath felt fine. No question; more than I trusted any other human on Earth.

I nodded slowly, and took in a deep breath.

Carefully taking the large bangles from my bedside cabinet and placing them on my wrists, I held my hands close together and focused. I concentrated my line of sight on the bracelets and on my hands, as they glowed a faint green. The markings on the bangles gradually glowed more intensely, and as expected the glow began to soothe my mind.

Slowly, but surely...? Yeah... I felt the agonising heat in my body mitigate. My eyes widened, as I continued to stare at my wrists while taking in a relaxed breath.

"How... do you feel?" Erika leaned her head a little closer to mine and rubbed my arm. "Any difference?"

With a gentle nod, I leaned my head towards Erika. "Yes... thank you."

"Ah... I didn't do anything." Erika shrugged with a smile, but I could feel the tremble in her grip lighten significantly, and she had finally stopped biting her lip. "So, that means that what just happened was...?"

"Mm." I nodded again. "The pain I felt wasn't physical. It was some kind of psychic sensation, so intense that it _felt_ physical."

Erika tilted her head and stared into me with a doting concern. "Do you think it's related to how you felt last night?"

"Maybe..." I pondered aloud.

As my thoughts cleared, I was able to more easily remember how unusually _anxious_ I felt last night. My heart beat at an uncomfortable pace, my stomach churned, I had struggled to sleep for hours...

Something had felt terribly wrong, I just couldn't figure out what.

What's more, Espeon had been dry-retching all night. Even now, he was wheezing and having trouble breathing. Alakazam had been peculiarly silent, meditating more intensely than usual. Our PokéGears hadn't been working properly either, faintly beeping and struggling to connect to the network properly...

Perhaps all these unrelated stimuli were all just causing me further stress?

Maybe that's all it was... just stress.

But... that's when it happened.

_*Knock, knock, knock*_

Three very loud, clear knocks, so imposing that they sounded as if they could shatter a lesser-door in its entirety - followed by the ring of my doorbell just to be sure.

I didn't even think to get changed out of my plain, dark green pyjamas. Driven by an anxious fear, as well as some peculiar sense of duty, my body immediately found its strength and marched out of the bedroom towards the front door. Erika scampered after me, gathering our Pokémon and Pokéballs.

What awaited me on the other side of the door was possibly the last person I could have ever expected, bringing the worst news I could have imagined.

"Gym Leader Sabrina... I need you to come with me, immediately."

My eyes widened with shock, but accompanying the shock was a dread that I could not yet put a name to. The searing anxiety I had been feeling since last night began to bubble up once more. I could hear police sirens all around Saffron City, as Erika rushed to the front door from behind me with a gasp.

"...The Elite Four's _Lance_!?" she exclaimed under her breath, her hand over her mouth.

"Ah, I'm glad you're here too, Leader Erika." Lance shot her a smile of anxious confidence. "Apologies for the sudden awakening, but it's urgent that you both please get ready as soon as possible."

I could hear helicopters whirring around nearby, presumably taking off from Silph Co.'s HQ. I could hear the sound of loudspeakers from a few blocks away, blaring something I couldn't hear clearly.

"With all due respect, Lance..." I stood straight, my hand subconsciously clenched on Erika's. "What... what's happened?"

Lance averted eye-contact and winced, turning towards a large Dragon Pokémon - his Dragonite.

Both of them gave each other a firm, knowing nod before Lance turned back to me; a deep, burning and heartbroken rage in his eyes.

"Cinnabar Volcano... has erupted."

* * *

**Chapter 1****:** **(Cinnabar)**

* * *

Sat securely on Dragonite's back, Lance himself flew both Erika and me over to Cinnabar the moment we were ready.

I listened with a terrified intent, as Lance recited what felt like an exhausted and repeated account of the events so far that night... horrific events that the poor man had evidently described at pained lengths to many other strong Trainers already.

It sounded like something I had only ever imagined as a nightmare scenario: the Stratovolcano beneath Cinnabar City Gym had suddenly erupted after decades, possibly even centuries of inactivity.

Scientists had spotted the signs a few days beforehand, when a calm and orderly evacuation effort had begun. Unfortunately, while a good chunk of the admittedly fairly small city was safely evacuated, the numerous gaseous Pokémon species living on the island only exacerbated the volcano's underground strain; and its eruption had begun far sooner than expected.

Cinnabar Gym was immediately destroyed, the explosions from the Gym quickly causing damage to the surrounding district. Homes were devastated, and the flow of lava began to spread at a horrifyingly alarming rate.

The Pokémon Center's systems quickly became too damaged to help people or Pokémon anymore. Some citizens that had taken shelter in Cinnabar Lab had become unexpectedly stranded, and there were many still-unaccounted-for peoples in unevacuated homes.

An accurate death-toll was unknown, but Lance admitted with anguish that current estimates sat at almost half a dozen already.

Lance had been flying around Kanto for the past few hours, quickly gathering as many strong Trainers as quickly as he could, offering lifts to the Trainers without strong Flying Pokémon and explaining the situation to them. He noted that Violet City Gym's Leader and Trainers had been doing the same for Johto.

His tone was steadfast, clear, charismatic. Everything he had been hyped up to be... but I could sense a distinct and silent dread within him. One he was professionally hiding away in order to appear strong and motivational, for those poor people who so desperately needed his strength and reliability more than ever tonight.

Lance, in the flesh, was surprisingly... human. He _wasn't_ this incredible living legend among mortals.

He was passionate. Scared. Flawed. Just like myself and Erika were.

It initially felt like a joke to even entertain the thought, but Lance almost, _almost_ reminded me of... myself. Wearing a cool and calm demeanour to cover up those fears, those worries that he wasn't strong enough.

All I could do was nod and give him the occasional verbal confirmation of my understanding, as Erika more quietly gripped onto my waist from behind.

Though Erika couldn't sense Lance's state of mind in the way that I could, I couldn't help but wonder if she too had noticed his fear. His drive to be perceived as reliable to those around him actually reminded me of her a little.

The dragon-back trip to Cinnabar was short-lived, but it was a surreal, humbling experience for both of us to witness first hand just how human the great Lance was as we soared headfirst into a nightmare that still didn't feel real.

Rather than his fear drudging up my own insecurities again though, his determination to do everything he could to save people tonight _despite_ those fears inspired something _else_ in me, in a way that nothing else had ever done before.

That night, I was ignited with the determination to do what _I_, as a flawed, terrified human being, could do to make a difference _myself_.

How many peoples' lives... that me and my Pokémon would be able to save together.

...

The scene that unfolded before us as we made land on the south side of Cinnabar Island wasn't what I imagined. It was admittedly difficult to imagine this kind of thing until you had seen it for yourself.

Cinnabar Island was in flames; it was unbearably hot... and many roads were blocked off by debris of both volcanic rock and collapsed structures. Rather than people scrambling and fleeing in every direction though, there were already Gym Leaders and powerful Pokémon doing everything they could to keep people safe, keep people from panicking, and keep the damage to a minimum.

There already seemed to be plenty of gas masks to go around thanks to the combined efforts of Cinnabar Lab, and Silph Co.'s prompt air support. Flying Pokémon and Grass Pokémon were also doing all they could, from a safe distance, to make sure that thick smogs and gasses in the air were kept at bay around places where citizens were still stranded or trapped.

I could hazily make out boats moored on the south and east coasts, with citizens piling onto them in a mostly-orderly fashion. The lava gushing into the ocean disrupted the tides, causing water conditions that would be typically unsafe to sail in, but the efforts of strong Water Pokémon Trainers helped keep the waters calm enough for some boats to begin the voyage north to Pallet Town.

As we landed and dismounted, we took in the situation with our own eyes. A familiar old man in a long white lab-coat was hurrying towards the living district before he noticed and turned his attention to us. "Aha! Timing! Fantastic to see you all, I cannot thank you enough for coming."

"Of... course, Mr Blaine." Erika responded as she continued to digest the terrifying scenes around her, seeming a little overwhelmed. "How are you holding up? Your Gym went first, did it not?" she asked, ever more concerned about others than her own well-being.

Blaine raised an amused eyebrow from behind his dark, round glasses and gave Erika a grin. "Me? Hah! I'm the _last_ person you should be worried about, dear Erika!" he joked with an enthusiastic confidence that could almost be called facetious. I could tell though; the way sweat rolled down his head, the way his arms quietly quivered... it was obvious how hard he had been working all night.

One of the most experienced Trainers that any of us knew... and even _he_ was scared, yet staying strong for the things he cared about.

"I'll leave them to you, Blaine." Lance nodded at him. Blaine nodded gratefully back, and Lance's Dragonite took off into the night for more help.

I hadn't seen Blaine for years, but there was no time for catching up. I stood straight and approached him, giving Erika's hand a reassuring squeeze. She reciprocated, eager for my reassurances to not be outdone.

We were all here for each other. For the people and Pokémon of Cinnabar.

"What do you need us to do, Blaine?" I asked, clearly. "Just say the word."

Blaine looked at us from behind his dark glasses, but his gaze remained fixed on Erika. His glasses glinted in the orange glow of nearby blazes as he grinned at her confidently. "Heh. What I _really_ need right now is help coordinating rescue efforts and offering assistance to citizens... and I can't think of anyone better-suited to that sort of job than you, Erika."

Erika's eyes widened a little, but her brow then furrowed with a steadfast resolve. She quickly shot me a glare of determination, and I reflected her confidence back to her with mine; not an ounce of doubt.

Yes, she had a tendency to overwork herself, but we both knew that she was one of the best people in Kanto for a job like this.

"Where are the rescue efforts based?" Erika stepped forward, letting go of my hand and retrieving a Pokéball from her kimono... which she insisted she was better at moving around easily in than anything else she owned.

"I like that spirit! We'll be needing as much of that as we can get tonight!" Blaine smirked and looked over in the direction of Cinnabar Lab. "You'll be with me, I'm heading in that direction too."

With a nod, Erika clutched the Pokéball in her hands and pressed her forehead to it. "Roselia..." she muttered to it. "All these people... they need us tonight. I'm counting on you."

With a brilliant light, Erika's Roselia sprung forth from Erika's ball. She had an impressive enthusiasm for a Pokémon Erika had only met a a couple of months ago. That made sense, I guess... she _had_ evolved from Budew already due to how quickly they got along.

The little serene flower Pokémon held up the red rose on her right arm, determined to do what she could.

"Her Natural Cure ability will help to cure any civilians suffering from burns or poisonous fumes... and her Weather Ball attack can be used in conjunction with Water Type Pokémon to put out fires." Erika noted confidently to Blaine. "But I would very much appreciate if you could assign a Water or Ground-Type Trainer to assist me, and protect us from the flames."

"Hah, of course! Who do you take me for?" Blaine gave Erika a surprisingly youthful thumbs up. "I knew you'd be the right one for the job, your reputation for organisation precedes you!" he said, before turning to me and giving me a look over. "And Sabrina...! This is probably the most fired up I've ever seen you, I'm glad you've got such a spark!"

"How can I help?" I was quick to respond, anxious to do whatever I could despite my lack of leadership ability.

"Hey! Sabrina! Come with me!" called a familiar voice, from somewhere behind me.

Already noticing that Erika was smiling at someone, I span around to see the Elite Four's Lorelei, with Misty. Lorelei was sat atop the back of her Lapras, off the island's east coast near where we had landed.

Misty gave us a little salute of acknowledgement before turning back to Lorelei and giving her a hasty bow. "Thanks for the help, I'd better hurry!" she shouted, before spinning around and releasing two Pokémon, a Quagsire and a Milotic, from their Pokéballs.

Our eyes briefly followed Misty, but she was gone within moments as she skilfully used her Milotic's Ice Beam and rode its back, sliding speedily in the direction of the dangerous residential area.

Blaine turned towards Lorelei with his arms crossed. "Hrmmph." he tilted his head. "I _was_ hoping to have Sabrina head right for Pokémon Mansion, but who am I to refuse a request from the Elite Four!"

"_Ex_-Elite Four." Lorelei smirked coyly. "Her help will be instrumental but I _do_ need her to come with me right away. Your timing was perfect, Sabrina, but time is of the essence. Hop aboard!"

Everything was moving so fast, but she was right. I... couldn't dally. None of us could afford to.

Despite this though, my first instinct was to shoot a look towards Erika - who was peering right back at me. My heart felt... heavy. Like it was struggling for air as we exchanged gazes. I subconsciously brought a fist to my chest.

"Hey... I love you." Erika nodded at me confidently, even while she bit her lip to hide the fact it was trembling.

"I love you, too." I nodded back wistfully, my eyelids blinking quickly as my head began to feel a little overwhelmed with emotion and anxiety.

It was like... suddenly, the reality of being apart from her somewhere so dangerous, the possibility that something terrible could happen, had come crashing down on me all at once. The mortal danger we all faced quickly became so much more real in my mind.

"Please, be safe...!" I added, clenching my fists with a forced smile, before spinning around so I couldn't see her face's reaction.

As I turned and ran towards Lorelei's Lapras, I heard Erika call out to me.

"Sabrina! You'd _better_ stay safe too! If anything happens to you, I'm never, _ever_ going to forgive you!"

...

The waters treacherous, the thick smog combined with the salty spray of sea water, it all served to make the trip _highly_ unpleasant.

Even though I had used a thin psychic barrier to keep the air around Lorelei and myself mostly clear, Lorelei's powerful Lapras was seriously struggling to surf steadily in this rough and choppy ocean.

As lava flowed into the sea from the north-east coast of Cinnabar Island, the tides and waves had become especially stormy. The entire ecosystem surrounding Cinnabar had been completely thrown out of order by the eruption.

The waves lashed chaotically around Lapras, as if the ocean itself was rearranging to make room for the dangerous molten rock. Despite how wildly alive the ocean seemed, there was not a wild Pokémon in sight. They must have been fleeing for some time already.

I held tightly onto Lorelei as she navigated Lapras through the storm. I was too scared to even think about trying to hide the fact I was still so young. Virtually a meek child when compared with her.

But, like with Lance, her whole body quaked silently too. I didn't even need my psychic powers to tell. She held onto her composure with an impressive grip; but she wore this strength for the people who needed it. For Cinnabar Island... for me. For herself.

"Sorry to suddenly snatch you up like that!" Lorelei shouted back to me through the loud booms of crashing waves. "I'd just finished giving Misty a few pointers on how ice is more useful than you'd think at dealing with this sort of crisis, when along came _just_ the person I was hoping to see!"

It sounded like it was quite strenuous for her to shout back to me in a way that I could hear, but I didn't even need to use my ears to hear her.

Without thinking, I shouted back; "Why not speak with me telepathically? It'll be easier."

For a fraction of a moment, I felt absurd, stupid, and above all disrespectful for even _suggesting_ something so invasive to such an esteemed Trainer.

But her reaction surprised me.

"Oh! That's right! Good thinking, Sabrina!" she shouted back, grinning as she gripped tighter onto Lapras' neck. '_Hey, can you hear this? Testing, testing..._' she thought as if she was speaking, in an invitational tone that felt as if she were willingly opening her mind to me.

I blinked a few times in disbelief... but despite how rude I felt, and how surprised I was... It _was_ true. This would be a far easier way to communicate without Lorelei having to stop focusing.

'_Yes, I hear it... thank you, Lorelei. Apologies for the intrusion._'

I faintly heard Lorelei giggle to herself. '_No need to apologise! I'm used to this anyway, I have another acquaintance with strong psychic abilities who does this sort of thing too. I think it's pretty fun, personally!_'

My brow furrowed as I stared at her in confusion. Another strong psychic? Who could she have been be talking about?

'_Anyway. Like I was going to say._' Lorelei continued intently. '_Sabrina, you're going to be instrumental tonight, but you'll be even more amazing with a Jynx!_'

My expression lit up a little. I finally began to understand what our goal was.

'_The Seaform Islands?_' I broadcast my question to her.

'_Yup._' I saw Lorelei nod. '_I may be a Master Ice Type Trainer, but there are certain things a psychic like you can do with Jynx that I'd never be able to do._'

Her observation was accurate, but still highly flattering coming from someone like her. I seriously couldn't help but blush.

'_The ways you could maximise the potential of Jynx's Ice and Psychic moves with your command of psychic abilities... it makes me giddy just imagining how much potential there is..._' her mind wandered off into excitable tangents. I couldn't help but lightly smile... it was admittedly a nice distraction from the horrible feelings of dread and restlessness that permeated everything.

Lapras could only travel so quickly in conditions like these, after all. A few dozen minutes later, we had finally arrived at the Seaform Islands.

It was quite a sight to behold; many Pokémon from the oceans were fleeing onto land and taking refuge inside the islands' labyrinthine caves. Some Pokémon had even ferried others across from Cinnabar Island to take refuge here.

Pokémon of different species and Types were willing to help one another to safety, even if it meant traversing such a dangerous ocean. Tentacruel, Dewgong, Golduck, Kingler, even rarer Pokémon like Gyarados, Lapras and Kingdra, they were all helping land-dwelling Pokémon into the caves, seemingly selflessly.

There was even a Pokémon I had never seen before, standing atop one of the rocky cliffs. A quadrupedal Pokémon with dark blue skin, covered in bright white hair. It was howling into the sky.

Lorelei and I stepped onto land, careful not to get in the way of the busied Pokémon scurrying to safety. We both stared at the mysterious, howling Pokémon as we made our own way towards the caves.

"An Absol... that's not something you see in Kanto very often..." Lorelei noted in hushed tones as she blinked with amazement. "It's a Pokémon that is rumoured to be a harbinger of natural disaster..."

My eyes widened a little in subdued awe. If there was such a Pokémon living at the Seafoam Islands, it was no wonder the oceans were so empty. No wonder that so many Pokémon had already successfully fled. This Pokémon must have been warning others.

We made our way into the caves. It was unlikely that it would take long to find what we came here for with all the Pokémon bustling around, but time still wasn't on our side.

"Oh yeah." I suddenly remembered something Lorelei had said earlier. I didn't want to encroach further, but I was admittedly curious. "You mentioned you were... 'ex'-Elite Four. What happened? I-if you don't mind my asking." I added on the end, scratching my face awkwardly.

Lorelei let out a gentle huff of amusement as she led me deeper into the island. "I... stepped down. That's all. A lot's been changing at the Indigo League, and I suddenly realised that I had been there for a long time already."

"Changing?" I raised an eyebrow, as a Crobat protectively hissed us away from a busy group of Zubat. "Like what?"

"Ahh, you know. Stuff. Some Trainers get stronger, others don't. Bruno trains at a slower steadier pace while I shoot past him... then Agatha retires... before I knew it I was right near the top of the League, and it was a little overwhelming." Lorelei chuckled to herself, turning to me with an almost wistful smile. "I just wanted to go back to Four Island, curl up with my dolls for a bit, and think seriously about what I wanted to do with myself next."

I looked at the ground and furrowed my brow in thought. This kind of indecision about the future wasn't something I ever expected to hear from someone like Lorelei... she always seemed to have her life completely figured out.

I guess, like with everything I had been through the last few years, it was yet another reminder that there was more to life than finding something you were good at and sticking to it.

Sensing my silence, Lorelei looked to lighten the mood. "So anyway! When I quit, Karen was _furious_ with me!"

Whether intentional or not, Lorelei had caught my curiosity again. "Karen?" I asked. I didn't know anyone by that name, and it's not like I was closely acquainted with anyone at the League - Lorelei included. Was Lorelei intentionally acting like I knew her better than I did?

"Oh, whoopsy!" Lorelei laughed to herself. "You're surprisingly easy to talk to, so I forgot you hadn't even met her yet!"

... Was she _joking_? Me? Easy to _talk to_? It was difficult for me to keep a sheepish smile from my face. Either she was genuinely more awkward than she let on, or she was doing a marvellous job of keeping my spirits raised. "U-uhm... thanks. You're easy to talk to as well." I responded stiffly.

We clambered down into a particularly cold cave. This must have been one of the deepest parts of the islands. We were getting close... I could sense it.

Lorelei smiled at me, as she helped me down the ladder at the bottom. "Anyway, Karen is a really good friend of mine. Kind of a besty, actually. I think you'd like her! She joined the Elite Four herself recently, and climbed up its ranks pretty quickly."

For someone to join the Elite Four and climbing up it so quickly... Karen must be an amazing woman.

... Hang on.

"Stop." I said quietly, holding my right hand out at my side. "Right... right behind this crag." I shut my eyes and calmed my breath. There was a Jynx mere feet from us.

Lorelei smiled gently and took a step back. "Then I'll let you take the lead, Sabrina."

...

The capture went off without a hitch, and we hurried out of the caves as quickly as was possible without getting ourselves tripped in the still-incoming flood of Pokémon.

Unfortunately though, despite our best efforts to race against time... things were even more dire when we finally got back outside.

I was greeted unceremoniously by a powerful wave crashing through the opening to the caves, spattering clusters of Krabby and Tentacool onto the ground and into the cave's waters. Luckily they seemed okay - and luckily I reflexively used my telekinesis to keep the wave from crashing into me and knocking me into poor Lorelei.

We rushed outside and I continued to scramble towards the coast. "Lorelei! Let's go!" I shouted back at her; but she was just stood there, taking in the waves.

"I-I..." she mumbled, her mouth hung slightly agape, her eyes wide, as she meandered apprehensively towards the coast. "I... don't know if Lapras can handle this."

"Wh-what!?" I clenched my teeth in frustrated trepidation. "B-but we... how can we get back then!? We have to _help_ everyone!"

Admittedly I was panicking. Lorelei seemed stunned, but I had never even _considered_ the possibility that I could be stranded out here while everyone else... while Erika... was potentially in danger on Cinnabar Island.

My stomach began to churn, my fists silently quaked at my side as I stared across the ocean in the direction of Cinnabar's faint orange glow.

"H-hey! Sabrina get back from there!" Lorelei yelled out to me. I blinked back to reality as I suddenly noticed a huge tower of water erupting from the ocean towards me. I instinctively covered my face with my arms, scrunching my eyes shut defensively - but my telekinesis subconsciously took control and propelled the wave above and over both of us. We were miraculously unharmed.

Lorelei sighed in relief and snatched my arm, pulling me back towards the caves. "Thank Arceus you're all right... look, we'll think of something okay? Let's get to higher ground." she took on an optimistic and reassuring tone, as she tugged me in the direction of the cave edge.

I nodded and tried to smile, but...

I knew she was just saying that.

* * *

**x**

* * *

**_(Notes: When I first played Gold/Silver, I remember being really shocked about Cinnabar Island. I remember wondering how it had all happened, where everyone on the island had gone._**

**_Cinnabar Island's eruption has been a core part of my plan for this story ever since I first started coming up with it, back in late-2017. I decided to try something a little surprising here though; using one of the story's most dramatic arcs to open it rather than at the climax. Sometimes the most difficult trials are in the middle of our character arcs, not at the end, you know?_**

**_Of course, being a disaster that had shockwaves across the whole of Kanto, this arc is about more than just Sabrina. This is one person's perspective in an event where every individual is doing what they can to make a difference with their own abilities, as they battle their own fears._**

**_Writing Lorelei was tons of fun back in "Erika", so I was really happy I found a way to give her a slightly bigger role this time. I also thought that introducing Lance right away at the beginning, after he only ever appeared on magazine covers in "Erika", was a really fun idea._**

**_Those of you who finished reading "Erika" might be wondering what exactly has happened between then and now. Keep reading! I'd better not say too much more though or I might spoil what happens._**

**_Chapter 2 will be up here next week, and Chapter 3 will be up the week after on ao3. See you soon!)_**


	2. (Legends)

**x**

* * *

Lorelei and I sat from the cave-top of Seafoam Islands, gazing, powerless, over the treacherous ocean. Absol was sitting fairly close-by, but didn't seem too disturbed by our presence as it continued to watch for Pokémon seeking shelter.

The waves and tides were beyond chaotic, utterly devastating in their disruption as lava piled ceaselessly into the water from across the other side of the sea.

I wouldn't have been surprised if the waves continued to just get worse and worse... but I so, _desperately,_ wanted to find a way back to Cinnabar.

I restlessly fidgeted with the PokéGear on my wrist, selecting her name. Hearing the gadget fail to find any signal, any ring-tone.

I did this again.

I did this over and over.

I pressed my ear to it each and every time, hoping that maybe this time the ring-tone would sound. That she would answer, and tell me she was okay.

No signal. No ring-tone. Just a dull, empty beeping sound.

"Erika..." I mumbled aloud, my teeth gripping my trembling bottom lip.

All that worrying that she wasn't talking to me was only a few months ago, but now it felt like ancient history. Now it felt so... small. Worrying for her life was _overwhelming_ in comparison.

I felt Lorelei's hand grip my shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey... She's fine." she said, a cool yet gentle smile on her face. "I'm really sorry that I got you stuck here with me. But she's over there with some of the strongest Trainers from both Kanto and Johto to back her up, remember? I'd rather be her than us right now."

The relentless churning in my guts twisted in a different direction. I looked away from Lorelei back toward's Cinnabar's near-apocalyptic-looking orange glow. "What if she's worried about me instead? I don't want to cause her pain by getting hurt or... worse..."

"Exactly." Lorelei gave me a little shake. "Think again about what you just said. You have to _stay strong now,_ so we can find a way back. You have to _stay strong now,_ so you can see her again with a smile. To show her she had nothing to worry about."

I stared at her, my jaw slightly agape, as she looked me in the eyes with a reliable and genuine care. My insides untwisted themselves a little, and I breathed in deeply...

... She was right... she was right. I had to _calm my mind_. Panicking wouldn't change anything.

I took in another deep breath. I only subconsciously noticed it, but my bracelets had begun to glow a faint green as I calmed myself and shut my eyes to meditate.

I heard Lorelei's voice tugging my consciousness back into the real world just a short moment later.

"Ooh... I haven't seen those before. Are they new?" she asked inquisitively, her eyes fixed on my large, black bracelets. The markings on them glowed green when I used psychic abilities.

... Huh. I suddenly realised that I had gotten used to them being there so quickly, that I had almost forgotten I was even wearing them.

As I opened my mouth to explain them to Lorelei, though... a feeling of supernatural shock flooded my mind.

Lorelei must have noticed it too, because I sensed her heartbeat skipping at least two or three beats as she shot to her feet. Even Absol's fur appeared to stand on end, though the Pokémon remained composed as it shot a reverent gaze towards the skies.

"What the hell," the thought half-left my mouth as I stood up myself. I suddenly felt my arms shivering - not from fear but from... cold? The air all around us suddenly felt far colder. In fact, a cool blue glow appeared to engulf us completely. "What is this... _presence_!?"

It didn't take long for my question to be answered... but it was not something I had ever expected to see. Least of all here, as hope was slipping through my fingers.

"It... it _can't_ be..." the words escaped Lorelei's throat in an awe-struck gasp. "That's... Articuno...!?"

A great, terrifying, majestic bird lowered itself onto the rocky cave-top - literally right in front of us. Crystallite droplets of ice appeared to spray from it with every beat of its incredible blue wings, its long thin tail feathers appearing to move more like calm glacial ice than an animal's appendage. Its bright, ice-blue plumage and the brilliant-white shine of its chest... its cold, blue beak...

There was no doubt about it. This was a Legendary Pokémon... _Articuno_.

"I-incredible... This is _amazing_...!" Lorelei gasped in muted breaths. "I never thought I'd... I seriously never thought this day would ever come...!" she quietly stepped to the side, trying to get a better look at the incredible creature's front. "B-but I... no... Articuno supposedly hasn't been spotted in Kanto for over two years now... so I wonder why it..." Lorelei mumbled on, in an almost trance-like state. "Oh Arceus... Arceus...! This is a _miracle_, it _has to be a miracle_...!"

I didn't dare move a muscle though. For all I knew, the Pokémon had come back to roost during the crisis and we had unintentionally found ourselves sitting amidst its nest. The corners of my heart were occupied with a strangely astounded relief, but also an awesome fear the likes of which I had never experienced before.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Lorelei edge towards the beast, her hand almost subconsciously hovering towards it. "Lorelei... b-be careful... _please_..." I mumbled as the pace of my heartbeat rose. I was almost beginning to panic, before Lorelei responded.

"No... it's okay!" Lorelei said clearly but quietly to me. Her eyes were trained, completely fixed on the bird. When I shot a look over to Articuno, I could see that it was staring her back. Their gazes were completely glued to each other. I could tell Lorelei was anxious, but she seemed to be taking it in her stride. Her breath was calm and there was no sign of her confidence faltering.

Lorelei gave Articuno a shallow bow of respect, breaking eye contact. To my bewilderment, Articuno lowered its head slightly too, acknowledging Lorelei's gesture. After Lorelei raised her head and looked at Articuno again, the creature lowered its body closer to the ground, crouching and flattening its back.

Articuno looked back at both of us, and chirped quietly. It was... unexpectedly cute.

The tense mood in the air lightened significantly. Lorelei stood straight, relaxing her posture and walking towards Articuno. She looked back to me, excitedly raised eyebrows behind her steamed-up glasses. "I think... it wants us to get on!" she beamed, and held her hand out to me.

My eyes widened for a brief moment, but any disbelief dissipated... surprisingly quickly. I could read the air. I could read Articuno's state of mind... Lorelei was right. Articuno was inviting us to ride its back.

I carefully approached the creature as Lorelei made her way to its side. She ran a hand fearlessly through Articuno's feathers and hoisted herself into its back with a single, graceful hop. "Oh... you are _beautiful_!" I could sense Lorelei's eyes virtually shimmering from behind her glasses. I raised my hand up to her and she helped me up.

The air was cold... but the creature was warm. Comforting. It was a cool, soothing and still cold, rather than an oppressive or harsh one.

Within moments of me sidling up behind Lorelei and finding my grip, the beast reared its head back and let out an incredible cry that sounded pristine enough to carry across the sky for miles and miles.

The nearby Absol bowed its head towards Articuno, and stepped back. The great bird began to gently find the wind beneath its wings... took a few steps... and then an impressive leap that betrayed how immensely powerful the legs on such a large creature must be.

Within moments, we were soaring back in the direction of Cinnabar Island. Articuno's crystalline form sliced effortlessly through the thick smog that had only worsened over the hour or so that we had been gone.

"This is _amazing_!" Lorelei shouted exuberantly. "At this pace, we'll be back on the island even faster than if we had Surfed!"

Her excitement was infectious. Her words pierced through the fears and doubts in my heart and endowed me with a confident fire of determination, something that was perfectly timed. This Articuno felt as if the very concept of hope itself had come to smack me out of my stupor, to remind me that nature would always find ways to protect itself and the creatures that lived in it.

It was becoming easier than ever to see why Erika adored nature so much. To the point where I could scarcely remember why I didn't understand it before I knew her.

I couldn't wait... I couldn't wait to see her again. To tell her what I had experienced.

...

Before we knew it, Articuno was flying over the east coast of Cinnabar Island. The great bird started to hover lower to avoid the worst of the thick gasses spewing from the volcano, and Lorelei and I gripped on tighter as it made its descent.

It flew towards the northwest part of the island, every flap of its majestic wings spraying a splash of cool ice and snow that melted into water and doused the surrounding blazes in a merciful dampness. The cold air that seemed to endlessly emanate from Articuno's body appeared to calm some of flaming districts we had flown over, as the Trainers working below shot their gazes skyward to try and get a look at the bright blue creature slivering silently through the smog above them.

As Articuno flew in the direction of the Pokémon Mansion, we finally got a direct look at the lava itself. It was still spreading slowly in every direction from the northeast of the island, and was closing in quick on the Mansion. Even as Trainers tried to slow the advance, its sheer indiscriminate and chaotic power meant it was impossible to halt.

I spotted a young Trainer below, dangerously close to the flow of lava. He was instructing his Rhydon to keep throwing mud onto it and his Pidgeot to blow the smog away, while his Machamp hurried to pick rubble and debris off what looked to be an injured little girl and her Snubbull. "Oh Arceus, isn't that...!?" I thought aloud as we swooped over him.

"It's Blue." Lorelei responded sternly, her tone becoming more serious. "Dammit, the hardheaded fool is in serious danger!"

Before Lorelei or myself could react much more though, Articuno swooped around close to the ground with a single mighty bat of its wings, immediately cooling and hardening the advancing layer of lava. The beast then reared its head as Lorelei and I gripped on tighter, and unleashed an immense solid force of ice from its beak that smothered the entire layer in a frozen blanket.

I-in... incredible. Just trying to wrap my head around how endlessly cold that ice must have been to freeze a layer of itself over lava was sheerly incomprehensible.

Blue lowered an arm that he'd been using to protect his face from the heat, and stood there. He wiped sweat from his forehead as he blinked in disbelief.

"Hey! Hurry!" Lorelei bellowed out to Blue.

Without a second more hesitation, Blue and his Rhydon turned back around to help Machamp free the terrified girl and her Snubbull. "Take them!" Blue instructed his Pidgeot, giving the bird a firm but trusting pat on the back, before it swooped off to the south with the wounded on its back. Blue quickly used the opening of the cooled lava to check around for more wounded nearby.

"Careful!" Lorelei shouted after Blue. "It looks tough, but the lava _will_ break through eventually!"

"Yeah, yeah! I got it!" Blue shouted back as he helped Rhydon and Machamp to lift more debris off a house that had been partially collapsed by the lava already.

Articuno lowered itself to the ground and began to stand up straighter. It beat its wings more heavily with each flap - a clear signal for Lorelei and myself to hop down.

"Jynx! I need you!" I shouted, gripping the Pokéball from my waist and releasing her as I landed skilfully on the ground. "Cloyster! Sandslash!" Lorelei landed next to me, sending out two of her own.

I was initially surprised to hear Lorelei shout 'Sandslash' of all things, but when the Pokémon emerged from its ball it looked like no Sandlash I had ever seen before. Its fur was a radiant blue that almost appeared to refract the surrounding orange light, and the spines on its back looked like large shards of ice.

Lorelei winked at me. "Sandshrew and Sandslash from the Alola Region look pretty different, huh?"

I blinked at her, but this was hardly the time to ask questions. Articuno was beating its wings more and more heavily, sending frigid breezes and snow bellowing from its plumage.

"Stand back." Lorelei said aside to me. "An Articuno's Blizzard attack is probably pretty deadly if you get too near it."

I didn't need to be asked twice. As Jynx used its own Blizzard attack alongside the Ice moves of Cloyster and Sandslash, a dense sheet of bright white snow blasted from Articuno and completely coated the flow of lava for a good few square feet, significantly cooling and slowing a lot of the surrounding lava with it.

"Arceus..." I blinked, as Lorelei hurried over to Blue and helped him escort some limping civilians from a home that had been cut off by debris. "They're going to need burn treatment right away." Blue mentioned. "But Pidgeot is still gone, and..."

"Heey! Who's over there!?" a few voices from nearby penetrated the uncertainty, as Misty blasted through a layer of debris with her Milotic, bringing Blaine along with her.

Lorelei was helping an elderly man and woman towards Misty - they were coughing heavily and seemed to be struggling to breathe. "These people need medical attention...!" she shouted, helping them onto the backs of Blaine's Arcanine and Rapidash. Blaine quickly supplied them with gask masks.

"L-Lorelei!?" Misty shouted, finally clicking what was going on as her Quagsire began to formulaically build barricades of thick damp mud around the cold layers of lava. "How'd you two get back from Seafoam so quickly!?"

"You'll never guess what happened...!" A big, proud grin briefly spread across Lorelei's face as she pointed excitedly behind her.

That's when Lorelei and I turned - to see that Articuno had vanished. Nothing left but a faint, red glow.

"Uh... wh-wha...?" I mumbled aloud, my posture drooping in confusion.

"Dammit!" Lorelei crossed her arms with an entertaining pout. "There was an Articuno here! A real life _Articuno_! You saw it too, right Blue?"

"Yuhhuh." He responded distantly - because he was now distracted by something else entirely. His eyes were fixated intensely near the wall of the Pokémon Mansion - and as I followed his eyesight I could see a shadowed figure holding out a Pokéball with an outstretched arm.

"No _way_ was there an Articuno." Misty pouted with her own arms crossed, raising an eyebrow at us. "If you all saw a Legendary Pokémon and I didn't get to, I'd be seriously frustrated."

Keeping his eyes fixed on the figure as they put their Pokéball back to their side again, Blue raised his voice. "H-hey uh, Misty? You think you could cover here for me? I gotta... check somethin'."

"What!?" Misty snapped back, "That's pretty selfish of y-..."

She stopped short. Lorelei, Misty and Blaine had all spotted the figure now too - and we all watched as they turned away, slipping around the building and into the darkness. I could sense Blue's heartbeat quickening from here, becoming increasingly anxious for some reason.

Misty's posture relaxed, she clutched Quagsire's Pokéball with determination and gave Blue a confident smile. "Yeah, go on." she nodded. "I've got this!"

"Thanks. I _really_ owe ya one!" a cocky grin spread across Blue's face, the anxiety I felt in him becoming more excited. "Rhydon, Machamp, I'm countin' on ya!" he yelled back, as he darted off in the direction the figure had disappeared in.

His Rhydon and Machamp continued to clear the rubble and help the wounded, as Misty approached Lorelei.

"You think that was..."

"Yeah." Lorelei nodded sternly, crossing her arms. "That was the Champion."

The Champion...

That Articuno... was with the Champion?

As our Pokémon continued to do what they could to build defenses, to slow or divert the flow of lava, to keep the air clear... the rest of us stood in a bewildered silence for just a few brief moments.

Blue sounded like he hadn't seen his friend in quite a long time, despite how confident he seemed in them when we last saw him earlier in the year. Had he been worried for them this whole time?

A loud explosion rang from the Pokémon Mansion, shocking us all back to reality, reminding us of the dire situation we were still in. For me, especially, it tugged me back into the reality that we were all in danger - and I _still_ hadn't seen Erika anywhere.

"Blaine." I span around towards him. He was glaring at the Mansion with evident unease. "Blaine, where is Erika?" I tried to keep my composure, but my fists were beginning to visibly tremble with anxiety now that the excitement of the situation had subsided.

His eyes remained fixed on the Mansion as he nodded, and began to pace briskly towards it. "In there."

"_**WHAT!?**_" I bellowed, my shock getting the better of me, my hair floating into the air in my anger. I marched round and gripped him by the collar, glaring him through his dark glasses in my panicked fury. "You said you'd have a Water or Ground Type Trainer _assigned to her_, but both Misty and Blue are out _here_!" I snarled, my fists glowing a dim green.

"Hey! Sabrina!" Lorelei yelled sternly, grabbing my shoulder. "Come off it, don't be a fool."

"I was _meant_ to be with Erika!" Misty shouted at me, too, "But she insisted I stay to help save civilians while she went to save the Pokémon!"

I fell silent as Blaine stared back into me, fearlessly. He nodded slowly at what Misty had said, a concerned yet earnest smile on his face.

"I-I..." I put Blaine down and stared at the ground in shame, biting down hard on my lip. "I'm... sorry."

I just...

Never before had I loved someone who loved me in return. Not just as my girlfriend, either... I had never had _any_ kind of friendship or companionship like the one I shared with Erika. The mere possibility of losing her in such a finite, mortal way was more terrifying and haunting than I could put into words... and it was a fear that was so new to me.

"I'm really sorry." I scrunched my eyes shut in resentment and grit my teeth. "I-I... panicked."

"Ha...! Hahahahah!" Blaine laughed after a brief silence, his laughter penetrating the sour mood in the air as he patted his lab-coat down. "It's quite all right, young Sabrina. The blazing bonds people share with each other and Pokémon are the reasons we are able to become so strong in times like this. Hold on tight to that fire in your heart, and come with me."

Her hand still on my shoulder, I shot a glance at Lorelei.

"You going to be okay?" she tilted her head at me and gave me a concerned, but earnest smile.

"Yeah..." I nodded. Now wasn't the time for further moping, so I returned her smile with my own "Thank you for everything today, Lorelei."

A light relief spread across her expression, "Any time, Sabrina. You're a good person." her smile relaxed, and she gave us a thumbs up. "Both of you can count on me and Misty to keep the lava at bay for as long as possible!"

"Excellent!" Blaine snapped his finger confidently at the other two and smoothly snapped a Pokéball from his belt, sending out his Magmar. "Shall we, Sabrina?"

With that, I turned to follow Blaine. "Alakazam, I'm counting on you!" I plucked Alakazam's ball from my waist and brought him out. "Jynx, come!" I called for Jynx, who followed after us.

Luckily, the Pokémon Mansion was only a short walk away - but that also meant it was dangerously close to the oncoming flow of lava.

A flaming beam from the ceiling crashing down out of the broad doorway was merely a taste of what was to come...

But there were still so many wild Pokémon stranded in this dilapidated old building. They needed our help.

'_Erika... I'm coming... you'd better be too busy saving Pokémon to be hurt...!_'

...

With the help of Alakazam's telekinesis and Magmar's imperviousness to the flames, I was able to assist Blaine into the hellish building. One look inside was enough to daunt my soul - still only alight out of sheer determination to save the Pokémon, and to make sure Erika was okay.

One look was also enough for Blaine to immediately nudge me, silently offering me a few gas masks. He held his fingers over his nose and appeared to be struggling to breathe... had he not brought enough for himself? Foolish man.

'_Hold onto them, someone else in here may need them_'. I sent to his mind telepathically, without even thinking about if it would bother him or not. Perhaps Lorelei's decisiveness had rubbed off on me a little. '_Just stay close to me and Alakazam, we can fend off the worst of the smog for now with barriers._'

Without me even needing to command him, Alakazam had already started to surround our group with a barrier. The bracelets on my wrists glowed a faint green as I bolstered his barrier with my own, and Blaine's breathing steadied.

"Quick thinking." he nodded. "Then let's make haste."

Our first order of business was an obvious one - make an escape route that wouldn't collapse. Many wild Pokémon that were huddled by the front door scurried out to freedom the moment Blaine and I had cleared a path.

Magmar, Alakazam and myself were able to quickly clear the entrance-way of the most dangerous debris, after which Alakazam lifted a few nearby metal poles into the air and Magmar melded them together. A light-bulb switching on in my head, I had Jynx cool down the newly melded metal until it was completely solid and safe.

And just like that, we had a dome strong enough to keep the doorway mostly clear, even if more debris fell.

It was dangerously hot in here, but not yet hot enough to melt metal. Not without a fire Pokémon - or the incoming lava.

Blaine grinned at us. "Hah! Incredible work, I knew you'd were the right person for the job." he waved his arm, signalling us to follow him deeper into the mansion.

"This is why you wanted me to come to the mansion when I first arrived here?" I asked. I held tightly onto my composure, but my heart was racing. Thinking practically on my toes in a life or death situation was not something I was used to.

I was far more used to either having total control, or... panic.

"Indeed. This old place is already dilapidated, abandoned by the foolish scientists guilty of committing crimes against nature here... given back to the wild Pokémon that deserved it far more than we did." his voice carried an air of wistfulness as he spoke. He looked back at me with a caring smile as he continued. "On behalf of all the Pokémon us humans have been so cruel to, saving as many of them as possible is of the utmost importance... and I don't know if we can do it without your telekinetic prowess."

I frowned and looked at the ground with a curious twinge of dread. Guilt from not being here earlier? Fear that I would not be as helpful as he hoped? Frustration that I would need to rely on my psychic powers, despite how I still felt about using them?

Blaine briefly looked aside to my Jynx. "Heheh. I can already see why you going with Lorelei first was a blessing though."

My fists trembled a little. Sure. But _because_ of going with Lorelei, I-... I had been split up with Erika.

I subconsciously poked at the PokéGear on my wrist again and scrolled to Erika's number. No signal... no ring-tone. Of course not. Why had I expected any different?

My mind was swimming with doubts, and I could feel panic bubbling up from my stomach like a Slugma. But... no. panic wasn't an option today.

I took a deep breath, and tried to voice my concerns without letting my own personal feelings cloud them. "If this place was a priority to you, why was the doorway like that? Isn't there anyone else handling things in here?"

"Yes. I advised Erika not to come in here without at least two others, but they may have been stranded by that explosion we saw earlier. That's what I'd like to investigate first, as we make a safe path for the Pokémon. "

Okay... okay. That made sense. I took another sharp, deep breath.

We searched the mansion methodically, starting from the top floor where the situation was most dire. To our relief, our Pokémon were able to quickly navigate the debris and confirm that it was empty - anything that had been up here before had successfully escaped.

Presumably thanks to the efforts of the other Trainers, who were still somewhere in the mansion.

It was a little frustrating that we had spent so much time searching for naught - but we had helped a few stray Rattata and Vulpix to safety. Plus, the most important thing was that the Trainers and Pokémon still in here would _likely_ be in less danger on the lower floors than they would be on the upper levels.

After confirming that the top floor was safe, we carefully headed back down to the ground floor. We checked on the entrance-way, noticing that a few Pokémon had been making good use of the makeshift shelter to scurry their way outside.

It was admittedly a little relieving to see - but my stomach still churned and ached with fear and uncertainty.

'_It's fine..._' I had to keep repeating to myself. '_It's going. to be. okay._'

She was close, she _had_ to be. I could feel it.

"Damn it. Sabrina, over here!" Blaine called out to me, his Magmar jolting to his side. My Pokémon and I rushed over to where he stood, his hand cupping his chin as he stared anxiously at an impressive wall of steel. "I didn't think this would happen..." he mumbled aloud, scrunching his brow and gripping his elbow with his free hand.

I didn't need to touch it to know it was dangerously hot. Before I had even opened my mouth to ask what was going on, Blaine began to explain.

"This is a Security Door. Normally in an emergency, the doors are automatically left opened..." he moved over to the side of the door and looked at the wall. "But if that explosion we heard came from the basement, it's possible the special containment procedure was activated instead."

"Containment procedure...?" I crossed my arms irritably and glared at him. "So they're _trapped_ down there!?"

"An old precaution the scientists here came up with, just in case the Pokémon they were experimenting on tried to escape." he pinched the bridge of his nose, a resentful smile appearing on his lips. "But the one time a Pokémon _did_ try to escape, it was so powerful it simply blasted its way out of the building. Serves us right, hm? Hahahah!"

'_Us_'? I raised a concerned eyebrow at him... he didn't seem like the type to experiment on Pokémon.

"Anyway! Enough of the skeletons in my closet, Sabrina. There _is_ a way we can get this open immediately, without dilly dallying with hidden buttons on statues throughout the mansion or anything." he poked carefully at a little panel on the wall. "There is a button here, and another identical one on the other side of the door."

I nodded, quickly but nervously understanding where he was going with this. "You... need me to try hitting the switch on the other side of the wall using telekinesis, correct?"

"If you'd please!" Blaine nodded firmly, grinning confidently at me.

R-right... of course. Simple enough.

I readied my hands, my bracelets glowing green as I tried to feel for something to move on the other side of the gate.

But... what would I see once the door opened?

What was even happening over there? The explosion came from through there, didn't it...? And everyone was... trapped inside...

I took a deep breathe and held it, trying to steady my grip on something on the other side of the wall while trying to keep my thoughts above water.

No. I couldn't.

My heart was racing. Horrific images flashed through my mind. And these weren't like the psychic premonitions I usually get. This was entirely my... mind. My own thoughts.

These were visions conjured by sheer fear, a brutal and terrifying 'what if' that I could only feel now, now that I knew a love so great that it would destroy my life to lose.

"D-damn it..." I muttered, my voice shaking. My vision was falling hazy, my hands starting to visibly tremble and quake. The disconnect between the reality I tried to focus on, and the chaotic, horrific scenes my imagination was successively, mercilessly conjuring up in panic made concentration increasingly impossible.

'_Sabrina._' I heard in my mind. My mind lurched back to reality with an uncomfortable jolt and I grasped at my heart in panic. My breathing was uneven, I wheezed, my eyes felt like they were spinning in their sockets as I tried to collect myself.

"Alakazam..." I said aloud. "I-I..." My voice got stuck.

'_Sabrina, it's going to be okay._'

"It's _not_ okay!" I clenched my fists. "I-I can't do it! I-..." I opened my mouth to spill my fears, but the words wouldn't come out with Blaine around.

Part of me could hear Blaine's voice from somewhere; "Sabrina, are you... all right?"

His words tumbled right through me though. I had fled into my mind. I only wanted to talk to Alakazam.

'_I'm scared, Alakazam. I'm terrified...! What if I open the door and she's... she's...!_'

I felt a subtle warmth engulf my body, and Alakazam put his hand on my shoulder. I felt Espeon's Pokéball rolling comfortingly on my waist, reminding me that he was here.

'_You've felt it too, haven't you? She's close. Trust your power over your fear._'

I heard him in my mind, but struggled to acknowledge his words. Couldn't.

The panic was too much. Every time I tried to bring my mind back into reality, away from the comfort of my Pokémon, the uncertainty made my heart race all over again.

I recoiled back into my head over and over. I couldn't face the possibility that-...

"Tell me, Gym Leader Sabrina... What sort of psychic gives up like this, hm?"

An... unfamiliar voice, penetrated my shell, forcing me uncomfortably back to reality to confront my racing heart. "Shut up!" I snapped at him without thinking. "What could you _possibly_ know of-"

Before I could finish speaking, the large steel door slid quickly down into the walls with a satisfying, heavy ***THUNK***.

It had been opened.

"A-...Another psychic!?" Blaine's eyes widened behind his glasses, as he gawked at the newcomer and his Xatu.

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(Notes: Things are really heating up! Hmm... too soon?**_

_**I had a bit of practise over the past year with trying to portray and solicit anxiety in writing, and I hope I captured it a little here too. Tropes about phone-calls not connecting is something that instils anxiety in me, personally. Even /writing/ this made me anxious despite me knowing what's going to happen.**_

_**Still, spoilers; Erika is fine in HGSS. This is still a canon-compliant story, after all!**_

_**But even knowing things will probably be fine, it's really exciting and makes me anxious to write characters in these sorts of situations.**_

_**I'm really happy with how I got to fit Lorelei and Articuno into the story here. I've always loved the portrayal of Legendary Pokémon as being like.. legends, you know? The kind of thing the average person will go their whole life without seeing. Even a Trainer as strong as Lorelei hasn't seen one before, and she got to see an Ice-Type Legendary! It's what she deserves.**_

_**Of course, the "Legends" in the chapter title refers to not just Articuno, but The Champion, remaining as elusive as ever. This sort of view of them being detached and powerful came largely from the whole Mt. Silver isolation thing in gen2, but it works well for me because I want the reader to be able to see them as either Red or Green/Leaf.**_

_**As always, I hope I portray Sabrina's anxiety and panic attacks in fairly realistic and respectful ways. It's a horrible situation to be in, and she's grown a lot very quickly so all the complex emotions she's feeling about it are a little overwhelming for her. In that sense, the newcomer's comment at the end is pretty insensitive.**_

_**A new character debuts at the end of the chapter, it's probably not too difficult to figure out who it is. Don't worry if you can't though, come back in two weeks for Chapter 3 - or next week on ao3!)**_


	3. (Psychic)

**x**

* * *

The surprise of the situation snapped me back to reality.

I immediately began to focus my cloudy cognition on the man who had - presumably - opened the door.

The newcomer had short, purple hair... he wore an eccentric grape-coloured suit, with a black waistcoat and even a white cravat. Perhaps the most outlandish thing about his appearance, though, was a simple black and white mask that covered his eyes.

It made him look like some sort of old-fashioned theatre performer... and something about that made me _wince_.

"Plenty of time for pleasantries later. I'm going on ahead." he waved his hand theatrically as he began to move into the next room.

But then he briefly stopped, and turned to me.

"Don't forget, Sabrina. A psychic's power has no limits unless it hits zero." he said clearly, with a smirk. He spoke as if he _knew_ me, but I certainly _didn't_ know him, and his attitude was already getting under my skin.

As I climbed out of my panicked daze though, all I could do was nod... stiffly. He offered a showy salute before rushing ahead, followed by Blaine.

It took me a few moments to properly ground myself back in reality... but it became infinitely easier once I acknowledged that the room didn't match the hellish picture my head had painted in fear.

'_When you're ready._' Alakazam thought to me calmly. I nodded, and we made our way in.

Save for a few scattered bits of debris, it wasn't actually too messy. There was a little smoke where fires had been put out, and some of the potted plants in the room seem to have survived.

Overall though, the air in the room was... surprisingly clean.

And it didn't take me long to figure out why.

My eyes widened, the discomforting pace of my heartbeat becoming a warm excitedness.

"...Sabrina...!?" I heard a mercifully familiar voice calling from the middle of the room.

My heart skipped another few beats. I almost missed a step, as my march broke into a run, my run broke into a sprint.

"Erika!" I gasped in relief, my voice quivering slightly as I ran to her. "**Erika!**"

She rose to a stand from where she was squatted over, clutching her fists to her chest. A warm smile spread across her face, tears building quietly in the corners of her slightly reddened eyes as she held her arms out.

I ran straight into her embrace, clasping my arms around her as she caught me and held me securely. I gripped a handful of her kimono in one hand, a fistful of her beautiful black hair in my other. I pushed my nose into her neck and squeezed her with every ounce of my warmth - and she reciprocated with hers.

Erika brushed her fingers delicately through my hair, she buried her lips dotingly in the side of my head and placed a couple of comforting kisses on it.

"U-ugh..." my throat coaxed up a meek whimper. It had been mere hours since I had last seen her, but I had never felt this nature of fear for our lives before. The joy that she was okay couldn't be expressed in words, and the tightness with which she held me made it easy to see that she felt the same. "Arceus... _Arceus_!" I muttered, scrunching my eyes and letting the odd tear slip out. "I'm so, _so_ happy to see you, dummy."

"Dummy?" Erika giggled and bit her lip, a slight hiccup in her voice. "I _saw_ those waves, the only way I wouldn't lose my mind worrying about you was if I distracted myself with saving Pokémon, _dummy_."

In response to her words, I briefly imagined how I would have felt if I had seen _her_ Surfing into that ocean on a Lapras, instead of me. Suddenly, what Lorelei had said about her worrying about me made even more sense.

"Y-yeah... fair enough." I gave her another squeeze and kissed her cheek protectively.

My heart finally felt like it felt the way it should. The ache in my stomach had almost vanished. I couldn't be mad.

"Arceus I love you." Erika muttered under her breath, gripping my head tightly in her hands. She brought her head a little lower and pressed her forehead to mine. Her eyes lidded gently as she calmly looked me up and down while holding me. "You're not hurt, right?"

"What about you?" I blinked shyly as her eyes pierced my heart. "Why were you locked in here anyway? What happened?"

Erika took a deep breath of relief in and gripped my hand tightly, before pulling away from our mutually possessive grip. She beckoned me to come kneel down on the floor with her, where her Roselia and a Chansey I didn't recognise were tending to a few injured wild Pokémon.

She placed a gentle hand on a Raticate that was struggling to breathe, then shined her PokéGear's torch on the eyes of a blob of purple gunk on the ground - a poorly Grimer, it looked like.

"It's funny..." Erika huffed to herself as she gazed attentively at the Pokémon in her care. "I normally kinda detest Grimer, but seeing it like this... in this situation, it's a victim too."

I couldn't help but watch her caring gaze with admiration. Of _course_ she had to be with the Pokémon... this was her element. This was where she made the best possible difference to lives.

"This Chansey..." I said, glancing over at the unfamiliar Pokémon. "It's a wild one?"

"Yes. There are a couple of them in the mansion, and this one really wanted to help look after the injured. I was really surprised." Erika nodded gently, her eyes lidding a little.

"Myself and a couple of other Trainers cleared this area to use as a safe-room, before heading down into the basement. The others said they were just going to scout around, and asked me to stay here to look after any injured Pokémon. But... that was around half an hour ago, and they haven't come back yet."

She gave me a pained, forced smile. One I knew all too well by now - the smile of her putting on a strong front. "Then, all of a sudden, the door slammed shut!" she forced out a confused laugh. "I admittedly had no idea what was happening, but I decided the best thing to do was focus on what was right in front of me; these injured Pokémon."

Catching herself, her eyes flickered and she showed me her PokéGear, pointing at it. "This thing hasn't gotten any signal at all either. Still, there was this emergency distress call function, so I tried it out. I wonder if that's how the man with the Xatu found us."

I had subconsciously rolled my eyes - and I could tell because Erika was giggling at me.

"My PokéGear didn't get any distress signal, I doubt anyone else on the island did because of the smoke. So... I guess it may have been him." I shrugged with a sheepish smile.

Erika tilted her head curiously. "He headed right down into the basement after waving at me, but I've never seen him before."

I stared into her eyes for a moment, replaying the last few minutes over in my head. Here she was, completely fine despite my fears. How much suffering I could have saved myself, if I had trusted my powers rather than falling into panic...

"That guy..." I said, searching for strength and beginning to stand up again. "That man is a psychic, too. He unlocked the door for us... because I couldn't."

But that was then. I _could_ have done what he did.

Erika reached up and squeezed my hand. "Sweetie... you're much stronger than you think you are. You mustn't compare yourself to others so much..."

I shook my head and smiled down at her. "I-... I know. I was completely capable. I still am... capable of doing what I can, to save lives. And that's what we're here for, so I'm going."

I had to make up for my earlier mistakes and pull my own weight, tonight of all nights. I _would_ make a difference.

Giving one more doting smile towards my treasured Erika, who had already done so much for these Pokémon, I squeezed her hand and headed towards the basement with Alakazam and Jynx. "If we need you, I'll let you know," I tapped my head. "But please don't worry about me... the lives we save will _need_ you, even more than we do." I said with a wink.

"Babe." Erika raised an eyebrow and grinned at me. "I'm more worried about those other Trainers down there than I am about you. Go on! They need _you_!"

We gave each other confident nods, and I dashed down the stairs into the dark.

... Arceus, it really _was_ dark down here. The light systems had completely failed, and even the illumination from raging fires and the glow of Pokémon moves didn't do much to alleviate the pervasive darkness.

There seemed to be some commotion coming from further in, but pillars and walls were quickly caving in - even near the staircase. The other Trainers must have gotten themselves trapped.

"Wobbuffet." I whispered, gripping a Pokéball on my waist and releasing the Pokemon. "Use Counter. Please do as much as you can to keep these pillars from collapsing over the staircase. This is our only exit."

Wobbuffet gave an affirmative salute and began to glow a faint, reddish violet.

Confident that we would not be caved in, Alakazam and I made our way further in, trailed by Jynx.

Wobbuffet _looked_ unassuming, but it was essentially a sentient punching bag... or perhaps better compared to an Okiagari-koboshi or weeble? The point is, it bounces back when you hit it - and its intelligence means it can push back with equal force without hesitation if need be. It would have no trouble holding back most of the forces that fell on it.

"Hello!?" I shouted into the room, only to be met with Blaine charging back towards me with a gas-mask on. "Back, back, get back!" he shouted, diving to the ground as an explosion suddenly rang out behind him.

I instinctively covered my face with my arms and winced. A faint, yet familiar screeching ringed in my ears...

That sound was the Explosion of a Koffing.

Blaine got to his feet and dusted his pants down. "Dangit." he mumbled. "I wanted to recover as much of my friend's old research as possible, but... I should have known taking a Magmar down here was a bad idea." he sighed and recalled his Magmar into its Pokéball.

"What's happening?" I asked, taking the lead and beckoning Blaine to get behind me. "Koffing using Explosion?"

"They're panicked." Blaine coughed, as he took the gas-mask off within Alakazam's barrier. "The fires, the mansion essentially falling down around them... they feel threatened.

But their Explosions are making the building even more unstable, the fires worse. Koffing and Weezing are Pokémon filled with highly toxic and flammable gasses, so if they got too near a big fire, or _lava_, then..."

I nodded, sweat beading on my forehead, eyes thumping in my skull, as I processed how _dire_ things were. "All the Koffing and Weezing could die, and the rest of us would be... screwed?"

"Screwed is a good word, yes." Blaine chuckled out a cough, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "That psychic from earlier is with Kiyo. They're doing what they can. But... they're both also occupied trying to save that Violet City Gym Leader, who went and got himself stuck under a collapsed wall."

Tch!

I grimaced irritably. So we were stuck down here with _three_ people I wasn't particularly fond of? What was Erika _thinking_!?

It didn't matter. It didn't matter! I still had to do what I could to save those Pokémon.

"Blaine." I glared ahead, steeling my resolve. "_You_ need to get out of here. Help Erika with coordinating rescue efforts. If I find your friend's research, I'll do what I can to save it."

Without a hint of disagreement or argument, Blaine gave me a firm nod. "That works. I'm counting on you, Sabrina!" He handed me a couple of spare gas-masks and smirked between coughs, before heading past Wobbuffet back upstairs, a few wild Growlithe and Rattata scurrying up behind him.

Right... I marched on.

I felt my way to the central room, which was illuminated by the gasses of a group of Koffing. They were flying around in circles, occasionally edging towards one of the doors before panicking and floating back towards the group.

They were letting off more and more smog the more panicked they became.

"Hey. _Hey!_ What are you two _doing_!?" I shouted over to Kiyo and the psychic, who were stood at the edge of the group of Koffing. Kiyo's Poliwrath was spraying water, while the masked psychic's Xatu flapped its wings as they worked to keep the smog at bay.

"Ah-hah!" Kiyo, head of Saffron City's unremarkable fighting dojo, turned around and grinned at me. Sweat was streaming down his face. "Sabrina!"

"Kiyo." I nodded slowly, trying to wrap my head around the situation.

For how capable the masked psychic seemed earlier, I was a little disappointed in him. "Uhm, excuse me, mister...?"

"Will. It's a... pleasure...!" he said in strained tones through gritted teeth. He held his hands to his front, seemingly attempting to hold a particularly panicked Weezing in place with telekinesis while his Xatu did her best to keep the smog at bay.

The Weezing appeared to be suffering, and after one look at it I dashed to Will's side and snatched his wrist back.

"You fool!" I snapped. "What are you trying to do, exactly!? You're just going to make the poor thing even _more_ panicked!"

"What other option do we have, hm!?" he wrenched his wrist free from my hand and glared at me. "We cannot risk it!"

"Did you _forget_ that Poison Type Pokémon are especially vulnerable to telekinesis!?" I continued to shout in exasperation, "Not just Psychic Pokémon! If you can move _solid objects_ with your mind, imagine how it affects _molecules of gasses and chemicals_!? You're throwing that Weezing's insides completely off-kilter!"

I grit my teeth as I glared at him, and he matched my glare with his own. I was _furious_ that someone who had tried to sound so 'mature' earlier... could be so _careless_ about the effects his actions had on innocent Pokémon!

"Uhm, you two!?" we heard Kiyo's voice interject. "Guys!? _Look out!_" he pointed towards the Weezing in a panic.

My eyes widened in horror, as I caught a glow out the corner of my eyes.

Within seconds the Weezing's glow intensified, its body vibrating at a dangerous pace, gas no longer spewing from its orifices.

'_S-**SABRINA!**_' I heard Alakazam panic into my mind. I could virtually feel his fur standing up on end, his gaze fixated on me in dread.

'_Oh...! Arceus...!_' my mind raced. I winced.

Was this it...?

Was I really not going to be able to help anyone...!?

... It all happened so fast.

I blinked, and before I knew it I was a few feet away from Will and the group of Weezing. Alakazam had caught me in his arms.

I rushed to clutch my gut, suddenly realising that I felt winded. I looked back to Will to see that his hand was stretched out.

Had he... shoved me away...?

"Rrrr..._aaaaaaaa**aggGGGHHH!**_" An impressive bellow erupted from the depths of Will's throat with an almost performative quality, his other hand desperately clawed as he tried to use telekinesis to force a barrier around the Weezing.

Kiyo, myself, and our Pokémon all scrunched our eyes shut, and covered our ears.

**... *screeeeeeeeeee**eeeee...*** ...**

Our ears ringing, the only sign that things had finished for now... was a loud ***THUNK***.

I opened my eyes to see Will lying, unconscious, in his winded-looking Xatu's wings.

The two had been flung to the wall nearest the entrance. Blood was trickling down Will's face as I rushed to him, and waved a glowing hand over him to check for brain activity.

"He's okay." I sighed in relief, my other hand over my chest. Alakazam sighed in sync with me.

It looked like Will had gotten concussion to the back of his head after being flung back by the explosion, but his telekinesis had contained the worst of it and saved the rest of us from being hurt.

'_You okay?_' I asked his Xatu telepathically. She nodded weakly back at me.

Xatu seemed to have rushed to catch him, softening the blow to the head. I looked her confidently in the eyes. '_Don't worry about him, all right? We'll keep him safe. When you've regained your strength, you'd be doing all of us a massive favour if you helped to keep the smog at bay._'

Xatu nodded weakly at me again and slowly got to her feet, placing Will gently on the ground near the entrance to the room.

"Sheesh, Sabrina." Kiyo said in a gruff voice, as he rubbed his throbbing head and approached me. "What was all that about? We had things under control in here!"

I gazed over at the group of Koffing. They seemed in shock about the Weezing, but were flying around less rapidly than they had been. I breathed in deeply and frowned sincerely at Kiyo. "No, you evidently _didn't_."

"Hah! How can you say that after what just happened?" Kiyo stood over me and Xatu, his arms crossed, his mouth scrunching into a stuffy pout. "You breaking Will's concentration caused that Weezing to explode, did it not!?"

I stood up and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, at how unusually ignorant the pair of them seemed. "That Weezing may never have exploded at all if he hadn't tried to force it to stay in place. Weezing is a living creature, and was _scared_ just like any of us. Suddenly, a powerful stranger with psychic abilities, something that Poison-Type Pokémon naturally fear, comes along and tries to coerce its movements? Of _course_ it felt threatened!"

Kiyo and I held eye-contact for a few moments - but he eventually faltered and sighed out heavily. "It... would appear I still have much to learn, myself." Kiyo smiled at me, then turned back towards the group of Koffing.

"Those... sincere thoughts you have for the feelings of Pokémon... I don't think I can bear ill-will towards you any longer."

"What are you going on about?" I raised an eyebrow at him and crossed my arms. "This sort of thing should be _obvious_ to strong Pokémon Trainers like yourselves."

Kiyo laughed in reaction, but my mouth hung open. I was admittedly a little confused.

"I felt no passion from you towards our Pokémon companions back when you brutally took the Saffron City Gym title from us those years ago... but now? You are someone who genuinely wishes to care for and understand the hearts of _all_ Pokémon. Not just your partners... but unfamiliar, wild Pokémon too."

He beamed a genuine smile at me... perhaps the most glad I had ever seen him around me in the time I've known him. "In that sense... you have changed from the person I resented so much. You have completely outgrown me! And I can no longer imagine myself worthy of being Saffron City's Gym Leader, compared to you."

Kiyo shot a glance at Will. "It seems as though... this man _also_ misunderstood the Pokémon's feelings, despite his impressive battle prowess."

I crossed my arms and stared at the group of Koffing, then at Xatu, and then at Alakazam.

Alakazam nodded at me, and I nodded back.

Being around Erika, going through so much with her... had changed me more fundamentally than I had realised. I no longer needed to imagine I was looking at nature or Pokémon through _her eyes_ to care about them. I just... did.

It was... important to me! _Of course_ it was! That wasn't even a question anymore! We _had_ to save the Pokémon here, that was the whole reason for my being here tonight! Innocent lives were counting on me!

"All right, enough dawdling!" I raised a hand at Kiyo confidently. "Look, those Koffing are likely to feel safer if we _aren't_ in here. Let's focus on finding the Violet Gym Leader first. Alakazam will observe the Koffing from a nonthreatening distance and let me know if anything changes, while Xatu handles the smog."

We left a gas-mask gently on Will's face to help him breathe while he was unconscious. With that, I beckoned for Kiyo and Poliwrath to follow me and made my way out of the room, followed by Jynx.

"It sounds like the Koffing occupied you." I said, "But you must know whereabouts Violet City's Gym Leader is, right?"

"Walker. He has a name, you know." Kiyo chuckled.

"He lacks the respect to call others by their names, so I don't mind returning the favour." I responded pettily, still bitter at the man for how he had treated Janine earlier in the year.

"Right..." I sensed Kiyo rolling his eyes, but we weren't eager to argue after our little moment back there. "The entrance to the lab collapsed on him, but he begged us to leave him and go handle the Koffing emergency."

My turn to roll my eyes. Walker fancied himself the hard, hero type huh? I wonder how his poor son would feel about that.

As we headed down the dark corridor towards the underground lab, I spotted a very distressed-looking Skarmory. My pace broke into a light run as I approached the Pokémon.

It was flapping around in circles, crying out repeatedly, occasionally ramming its tough body into a huge pile of debris piled up in the lab's entrance-way.

"Hey, hey." I spoke softly towards it. "It's going to be okay."

My hand glowed a gentle green as I waved it over the Skarmory's head - it didn't seem hurt. It was just... worried. About its Trainer, of course.

"Hey, old man!" I called out into the debris. "You alive in there!?"

I heard a faint coughing sound pierce through the loud crackling fire all around us - so yes. He was alive. Kiyo sighed in relief audibly behind me.

"Izzat the Saffron City brat? So they roped you inta this too, eh?"

"You're as delightful as ever, I see." I sighed. "Stay back, alright?" I said gently to the Skarmory. "Hey Kiyo, could you both get over here and help me begin shifting all this?"

"Hoh!" Kiyo punched his fists together and his Poliwrath did the same, after which they both began quickly - yet carefully, hoisting debris out of the way.

Careful. Good. We moved slowly, methodically, because there was no telling what could collapse if we were too hasty. We kept the discarded debris as far from the surrounding fires as possible to avoid catalysing its spread.

I wasn't used to using my psychic abilities practically, especially not in emergency scenarios, but this sort of thing was surprisingly right up my street.

Even if I wasn't used to commanding Jynx, she was intelligent. It seemed to come with the territory for psychics... she matched my methodology of careful and precise telekinetic movement, testing for beams, poles, pillars, chunks of wall that were safe enough to move, and leaving the ones that felt like they were under too much tension from the surrounding wreckage.

'_This... this isn't so bad..._' I nodded to myself, training my breath as I eased out a particularly long wooden beam without anything else budging dangerously. I could see why Blaine had thought me appropriate for this role. '_We're all going to get through this, alive...!_'

"Hoi!" Kiyo's muted shout cut through my thoughts. "Get outta here little fellah, it's dangerous!"

"Koff Koff, _KOFF_!" came a peculiar and terrifyingly familiar coughing sound from behind me.

I spun around in the middle of retracting a chunk of the wall to see a lone, wild Koffing floating around in the corridor - _panicked_.

Seeing us shifting so much heavy debris only spooked it further, as it suddenly tried to retrace its flight path, rebounding in the air to get away from us.

It struggled to find an escape path, just like the group of Koffing in that room. Its flight became more erratic. The gasses it secreted as it flew wafted and agitated the already hazardous flames in the corridor.

'_... NO...!_'

Before I could so much as blink, the Koffing had slipped right through a solid lick of flame.

And that was all it took.

By the time Kiyo had widened his eyes in horror in anticipation of what could happen, the flames tracing the Koffing's gasses were already popping the air around it, little trickles of gas igniting.

It was already too late.

'_O-Oh... Arceus...!_'

My gut clenched, my eyes widening in muted horror, as I began to comprehend what was happening.

How had I relaxed? How had I underestimated just how direly sensitive the situation was...!? With only Kiyo and myself here, there were too many blank spots in our safety...!

I scrunched my eyes shut and grimaced. I held telekinetic grip on a chunk of wall. The Koffing began to cough louder and louder behind us, and I could already sense its faint glow as it began to withhold its igniting gasses in panic, floating around the corridor in a fit of dismay, practically rebounding off the walls more and more rapidly.

"Uh... somethin' goin' on out there, kids?" I heard Walker wheeze in concern from under the detritus.

"KIYO!" I yelled out. "Try to hold the debris in place as much as you can, _NOW!_"

*ff**ffFFOOOOOM***

Despite being in the basement, we felt the entire building shake. We felt it to our very cores.

I was knocked at least a few inches to the side. Thankfully I was able to mostly hold myself and the debris in place with telekinesis, but my air barrier had fizzled out.

That quickly became the _least_ of my worries, though.

The Koffing had detonated as it made impact with the wall, causing a devastating chunk of it and the ceiling to collapse in; right onto the already deadly wreckage all around us.

As the ceiling crumbled in, I could see the light of the ground floor's more intensely blazing fires. More detritus began to tumble down.

"*Cough, cough **COUGH*** K-KIYO!" I yelled, coughing and trying to hide my face in my upper arm as the dust and rubble piled down onto me. I should have worn a gas-mask after all... "A-are you okay!?"

"A-aahh..." I heard Kiyo mumble through the cloud of rubble. "I'm okay... Poliwrath's okay. We're... G-... _GHH_!"

'_D-Dammit!_'

Suddenly, the chunk of wall I was moving felt far, _far_ more strenuous. The amount of weight added to it was... Dammit, this wasn't possible for humans to carry at all!

This... isn't happening...

"**A-AAAAAAGHH! SSHHI-!**" came Walker's pained scream from underneath the rubble.

Not good. This wasn't good! I couldn't tell how badly injured he was, but if Kiyo, myself, or our Pokémon let up for one _second_ he was as good as...!

"H-hoi...!" Kiyo's wheezed and strained voice called out. He was struggling to breathe now too. "NNnnngggh...! You still alive down there? HEY!"

No response.

No response and the ceiling continued to cave in.

No response and the sheer weight of this wreckage was getting too much for me to handle.

No response and this man has a _son_.

No response, and I could still hear the panicked spluttering of Koffing and Weezing coming from the other room.

Arceus. Arceus. What do I do.

'_Sabrina?_' Alakazam... Alakazam's voice in my head.

'_Sabrina, can you hear me? Stay strong!_'

I wasn't physically holding anything, but even so my arms felt like they were going to be ripped clean off from the strain gravity was exerting on my power. My head felt like it was going to split open as it throbbed with every ounce of its power to help me keep my telekinetic grip on the only thing separating a human being from his likely death. I felt my Pokéballs trembling on my waist.

No... no...

"S-Sabrinaaagh...!" Came another strained cry from Kiyo. "Poliwrath and I aren't doing so... hot... here...!"

My eyes were thumping in their sockets in panic, in pain. I caught a vision of Kiyo and could see that one of his shoulders was steeped a deep, reddish-purple... it looked like it had been dislocated.

Th-this... couldn't... be happening...!

My untrained Jynx was already barely able to hold on as she ran out of PP and had to physically grip onto the rubble while her telekinesis fizzled. My Pokéballs still trembled and squirmed on my belt. No! I couldn't call my other Pokémon without breaking my concentration, without putting _them_ in danger too...!

Sweat streamed down my face. My dry throat gasped.

What could I do!? I was the _only one_ who could stop this room from collapsing in on top of all of us without physically harming my body, but this level of telekinetic strain wasn't _normal_! I had _never_ done anything like this before! I had never expected I would ever _have_ to! _What could I do!?_

"Sabrina, I'm s-_sorry_...!" Kiyo winced, tears building in his eyes as he struggled to hold on.

My vision blurred, my telekinetic grasp buckled slightly. I felt the weight of the entire wall and ceiling heaving slightly in any tiny moment I let my guard down. No. No. No no _no no no no_! Arceus _**no**_!

My Pokéball shook violently on my waist. I heard Alakazam faintly calling to my head. I heard Kiyo and Poliwrath and Jynx's anguished cries. I felt one Pokéball shake so harshly that it was beginning to physically chafe my hip.

Too much. Too much. _Too much_.

It was all too much. The deafening noise. The seething pain. The infinitude of stimulus and distractions and complications. There was too much going on. My head couldn't maintain focus no matter how desperately I needed it to.

I could no longer put names to the things in my vision, as my sight became indistinguishable from white noise.

I felt my mind going blank.

I felt my jaw dropping to scream, but my ears ringed with a screeching buzz. I could no longer distinguish sounds from one another.

The tears slipping down my cheeks, cooler than the intense heat, were the only thing reminding me I was still conscious...

... B-but I guess this was... it...?

I'm s-sorry... Blaine... Lance...

I let you all down...

Alakazam... Am I gonna... die... down here?

Erika... _Erika_...

_E-Erika...!_

"Tangela! Espeon's Pokéball!"

E-... Erika...?

"Sabrina! Can you hear me!?"

_**Erika!?**_

I hazily felt something lunge against my waist - and the rapid shaking on my hip suddenly stopped.

The overwhelmed panic in my head felt a light relief. I tried to focus, as I heard a familiar yipping sound...

Then, all of a sudden, my senses began to return to me.

My head felt quiet... the strain on my arms relieved. My vision came back into focus.

I opened my eyes to see that I was still holding the debris from collapsing; single-handedly.

Kiyo's Poliwrath had fainted, Jynx had recoiled in exhaustion, Kiyo was kneeling on the ground, clutching his deep-purple shoulder and staring at me in abject awe.

And at my side was Espeon; glowing a brilliant purple, shining a soothing glare that pierced my soul and reached the depths of my mind.

"S-Sabrina!" I heard a relieved gasp. I knew immediately who it belonged to - and my eyes followed it to its source.

"E-Erika...!" My voice choked, as I spotted her through the caved in hole in the ceiling. Her Tangela was retracting its vines... she must have helped Espeon get out of his Pokéball.

Seeing Erika made my heart miss a beat - I bit hard onto my rapidly trembling lip and tears began to cascade from my eyes. "H-help me...! I don't want... I don't want t-to d-...!"

"Your bracelets, Sabrina! Focus on your bracelets while Espeon uses Calm Mind!" Erika gave me her most confident smile, tears in the corners of her eyes. She gave me a firm nod and a thumbs up.

O-oh...! _Calm Mind._..!

I took in a deep breath, allowing Espeon's Calm Mind move into every corner of my body. I shut my eyes and felt power returning to the tips of my fingers. I wiggled them as my brain separated the mental strain of my telekinesis from the phantom physical strain it was causing me.

My lip stopped trembling, the tears stopped falling, and my eyes shot open.

I thrust my arms to my front. I clutched at the air with my hands, and they began to glow more intensely. I focused my vision, my mind, my sense of feeling on the large cobalt-black bracelets on my wrists, the patterns on them beginning to glow an intense green.

My eyes fixed on the bracelets... fixed... on them... I could still send more power through them. The strain on my shoulders, my arms, my head, felt like it had been almost completely relieved.

The debris felt almost... light.

And I could still... charge them... even more.

It was cathartic. I let telekinesis flow from my mind, along my skin, through my arteries, my bones, pumping down my arms. Still the bracelets glowed more and more intensely.

"Rrgghhh..." I heaved out heavily from my throat, my fingers clawed. I twisted my wrists so my palms face upward. I steadied my breathing, in through my nose, out through controlled huffs of my mouth. I began to drag my weighted wrists higher. Gradually, pulling the air around them, my arms heaved my hands higher still.

The debris I held onto, no longer a single slab of wall but instead the very foundation of the crumbling pile, began to edge higher too.

The entire building felt like it lurched as I tugged the wreckage in its near-entirety from the ground, the walls giving way, the floor of the ground floor returning to the ceiling, then to the floor above.

I planted my feet firmly on the ground and steadied my knees. My arms were bent, but I slowly extended them upwards, upwards, straighter...!

"A-Arceus alive...!" I heard Kiyo stutter from nearby, as I witnessed the suffocating and crushing weight of the detritus edge slowly, but surely, into the air.

'_Just a bit... further..._' I repeated in my head, as the thumping began to intensify again. The whole bracelets now glowed a brilliant bright green, my hands near-engulfed in their radiance.

I furrowed my brow in focus, gritted my teeth... and...

"Rrr_rraaaaAAAAAAAAAA**AAAAAAAGGGGGHH!**_" I bellowed from the very core of my soul; straightening my legs, my back, my arms, my fingers.

The glow of my power shone through my skin itself as the wreckage lifted completely off the ground, holding the walls and ceiling from collapsing in, and finally revealing Walker's body.

Kiyo scrambled onto his hands on the ground, shielding his eyes from falling rubble and the intense glows. "H-hohoh..." he laughed awkwardly, rubbing his mouth with his wrist. "Are your eyes _supposed_ to be glowing like that, Sabrina?"

I smirked at him, though my shoulders were quaking from the weight, and one of my eyelids twitched. "H-hurry! Check on him while I still have this...!"

Kiyo and Poliwrath were already on it, scurrying under the suspended wreck and carefully fitting a gas-mask to Walker's face. "H-he's alive, but... he's got a big shard of wood cutting into his abdomen...!" Kiyo yelled out to me. I winced, but my hold didn't falter.

"Can you do anything about his injury?" I asked calmly, as Espeon scuttled past my legs and into the room that had been blocked off.

"Injury!?" I heard Erika call from above. "Tangela, can you help me down there?" she said aside to her Tangela.

"Wait, stand back a second." I called back up to her. "Jynx," I looked to Jynx, who had recovered some of her fatigue. "I need you to make an ice slope, staircase, anything that'll make it easier to get up and down through that ceiling."

Jynx nodded and quickly whipped up a simple makeshift ice staircase. Erika promptly hopped her way down with Roselia, leaving Tangela up above.

She rushed to Walker's side and looked at the wound. "We'll do what we can to stop the bleeding so we can move him, but he'll need urgent medical attention when we get out of here."

Kiyo nodded at Erika. The two of them began to quickly but carefully move his body to safety, while Roselia applied her Natural Cure ability to him.

"O-oh yeah, Sabrina." Kiyo turned to me as they got Walker's body straightened. "Your Espeon just..."

"He's okay." I nodded confidently. "He went to get something."

'_Sabrina!_' I heard Alakazam call clearly into my head. '_We have a serious problem in here! Lava has begun to eat its way into the building!_'

Dammit. I had almost forgotten about the Koffing...

'_Espeon, hurry!_' I grit my teeth as my focus slipped and the pile of walls, ceilings, pillars and other assorted debris suddenly started to quite literally weigh on my mind again.

I shot a look up to the hole in the ceiling. Tangela was still up there, anxiously, but the ice stairway was quickly melting. '_Hey, Alakazam? Can you and Xatu come out here? We need Xatu to lift Will and Walker out of here asap._'

'_But the lava and the Koffing, they're-_'

'_I've got a plan. Trust me._' At least, I hoped I had a plan.

And if it worked... we'd all be out of here within minutes.

Alakazam didn't object. Before long, I saw him and Xatu carrying Will from the room.

Erika could already tell where I was going with this and got up to help. "Tangela, I'd like you to go get Blaine, and tell him to fetch Sabrina's Wobbuffet from the stairway." she snatched Wobbuffet's Pokéball from my hip and tossed it to Tangela, who caught it easily in its vines. "Stay safe, little one!"

"Th-thanks, Erika..." I grinned, wincing as I began to run out of energy. "Xatu, could you please begin to fly everyone out of here? Starting with the unconscious."

Xatu, fully understanding the severity of the situation, nodded and immediately lowered its back for Erika and Kiyo to begin securing the two unconscious men on. The psychic bird's flight ability was still, calm, and steady; perfect for this kind of flight in a small and precise space.

Before long, Tangela had returned with Blaine, and Blaine's Pokémon began to escort the unconscious and some wild Pokémon safely outside, while Xatu came back down for Kiyo and Erika.

After the two of them had safely returned to the ground floor, Xatu began to fly back down for me - but I shook my head.

'_Hey, Xatu. I'll be fine. You need to help everyone else get out of here and be with Will, okay? I won't let a stranger's Pokémon sacrifice their safety for me._'

With a look of concern, Xatu backed away - and Erika shot her a look of bewildered anger. "Hey, Sabrina! You _are_ coming, aren't you!?" she called through the hole.

"I-I need to wait... for Espeon." I mumbled confidently, though the sweat dripping from my forehead and my twitching eyelids were as good an indication of my fatigue as my shaking knees. "B-but I won't force you to leave me alone. I know how that'd make you feel."

"S-Sabrina..."

"So I'd like to selfishly ask you to wait up there for me. Wait there for me, with Tangela, so you can pull me out...!" I shot her a grin, tears in the corners of my eyes.

Erika beamed back at me with relief, and nodded. "Finally, you ask something reasonable of me..." she laughed sadly, and I couldn't help but laugh with her as I buckled down onto one knee. My grip on the wreckage slipped more and more every second, my bracelets losing their shine as I gradually ran out of energy.

"Koff! KOFF _KOFF **KOFF!**_" came the almost doomsday-like alarm of coughing from the other room, as the Koffing presumably panicked amid the oncoming flow of lava.

Dammit... It was already starting.

The glow of light from the room of Koffing and Weezing became more and more intense. If all of those Pokémon exploded, then we...!

"Yip, yip yip!"

I breathed out what felt like the biggest sigh of my life, as Espeon darted back from under the detritus just before I had run out of energy.

This was it... there was no time to lose.

"Hey! _Hold onto something!_" I shouted up to Erika as I finally dropped the wreckage in its entirety - meaning the walls and ceiling began to cave in.

"I-I'm okay! Sabrina, aren't you coming!?"

"Not until _everyone_ is safe!" I shouted back. Clenching my fists as Espeon used Calm Mind on myself, Alakazam, and Jynx, I shot Erika a confident smile and sprinted towards the room of Koffing - ignoring her pleads of objection.

"Alakazam! Espeon!" I shouted. "Use Gravity and Psychic to hold those Koffing in place!"

The exact same 'technique' Will had foolishly used earlier - yes. Minus a small eyebrow-raise though, Alakazam didn't question me.

Koffing panic intensified. Lava was beginning to spray through the wall too, quickly igniting the gasses of not just Koffing but also the single Weezing still left conscious.

'_Dammit, have to be quick...!_'

"Jynx, use _Blizzard!_" I cried, thrusting out my hand towards the group of Pokémon as Jynx sprayed freezing cold air throughout the room.

"Now, follow my lead." I smirked confidently, holding out both my hands as my bracelets began to glow again, and every spec of blizzard snow in the room began to shimmer an intense bright green.

This only made the Poison Type Pokémon even more excessively panicked, and the ignited Weezing started to withhold gasses and glow in anticipation of Exploding full-force.

I twisted my wrists... and chunks of ice began to cling to each other, forming layers of extra thick wind around the Weezing as it reached the apex of its glow.

Then... I clenched my fists.

The spherical layer of ice-cold wind crunched together as my telekinesis forced it into a spherical cage of sheer ice - and I gripped it closed as tightly as I could.

A muted 'pop' sound, followed by a slight crack of the extra thick ice, told me that my plan had worked.

Alakazam's eyes lit up. '_Sabrina...!_' he grinned. '_Enclosing them all in orbs of ice so their moves are contained... brilliant!_'

"There's no time!" I shouted to my Pokémon. "Alakazam, Espeon, Jynx, I need _all three_ of you to form ice cages around every single Koffing - we're not going to let a _single one die_!"

...

What followed was an almost performative display of the sheer beauty of telekinesis. Of the potential of psychic ability.

One by one, the Koffing were isolated into spheres of ice where they safely Exploded or Self-Destructed without causing any damage. The different shapes and sizes of ice spheres made almost musical-sounding clinks as they tumbled to the ground one after the other.

Then, completely in sync with me, my Pokémon all glowed as we carefully lifted the Pokémon out of the basement in a stream of ice orbs, green and purple lights shining and refracting the yellows and oranges of the fires raging all around us. Alakazam magnificently conducted the performance with his spoon while Erika patiently caught every single Koffing in a Pokéball to make them safer to carry outside the rapidly collapsing building.

As rampaging flames and the dust of melting ice destroyed the basement all around us, I turned back to my three Pokémon with a smile.

"Alakazam... Espeon... Jynx." I said aloud. "I couldn't be more proud of all of you... to be your Trainer.

Let's get out of here."

I held out their three Pokéballs in between my fingers and recalled them - then felt Tangela's firm yet gentle vines tug me up by the torso as Pokémon Mansion's basement finished caving in.

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(Notes: Phew...! A very long chapter, one of the longest in either story so far, and possibly the longest chapter "Sabrina" will see. Still... you know how I get with chapter length. Maybe I'll surprise myself.**_

_**Under the stress of the life-or-death situations everyone faces, Sabrina and even some other Trainers do a lot of growing in a short space of time. This chapter probably best-encapsulates my goal to intersperse the Cinnabar Island eruption with Sabrina's growth as a character.**_

_**I hope that the way it's narrated helps the reader to feel anxiety and uncertainty, maybe even a little bit of panic. Did you feel Sabrina's dread or hopelessness when the basement was caving in? Or awe at her power when she realised how deeply she could tap into it? Capturing the flow of emotion of the scenes towards the end of the chapter was very difficult, so I hope I pulled it off at least partially.**_

_**The emotional moments Sabrina and Erika share in this chapter, like their reunions at the beginning and then again near the climax, are pretty powerful. Those of you who've read "Erika" and remember the trust issues they had will definitely be able to see the great lengths they trust each other now. All the little details like Erika knowing which of Sabrina's Pokéballs are which and them helping each others' Pokémon all add to that. I really loved showing how flawlessly they work together.**_

_**Some of you will remember I introduced Kiyo in Chapter12 of "Erika". He's a very minor character, but one of the main reasons I introduced him was because I wanted to "resolve" the implied conflict between him and Sabrina. His role in this chapter was something I had decided on before I even /wrote/ Chapter12 of "Erika".**_

_**Walker - Writing "Violet City Gym Leader" every time I wanted to refer to him was a pain, and I didn't want to use a fan-name for him either... so I finally decided to just go with the name he has in the Pokémon Adventures manga. No issues there, right?**_

_**As for Will... some of you may be surprised that he seemed a little dense. His role has been a little small so far, but just consider it a taste of what's to come!)**_

_Glossary:_  
_Okiagari-koboshi - a traditional Japanese doll that returns to its upright position when knocked over, like a roly-poly toy or weeble._


	4. (Respite)

**_(Notes: Sorry, I completely forgot to upload this last week! Ch5 should be out on time next week.)_**

* * *

**x**

* * *

A group of powerful Trainers stood at the west coast of Cinnabar Island, taking in its ruins. Explosions of old machinery, the crackling of collapsing walls and pillars, rang out from a hollow Cinnabar Mansion.

That was where _we_ had been, mere moments ago.

Erika clung possessively to my stomach. She had been crying for a few minutes already. As had I.

By now though, our relief and elation that everyone was safe was so overwhelming that her cries were starting to sound more like jokey Croconaw tears.

She gently pounded at my shoulder with balled fists, then buried her lips in my cheek for the umpteenth time. "I'm so _angry_!" she laughed weakly through tears. "I can't believe you had to not only act like a hero, but also _completely_ pull it off, and look like a _movie star_ while doing it...!? You're unbelievable...! _Jerk_..."

All civilians and wounded had been quickly boarded onto the remaining ships and boats. The strongest Water and Ice Type Trainers would be escorting every watercraft north, to the safety of Pallet Town.

Erika and I, still fit enough to help, insisted on joining them.

Lorelei had greeted us both out of the collapsing Mansion, with a hug so surprisingly powerful that I felt my bones creaking under her grip. Kiyo and I had exchanged confident glances and smiles of respect, for perhaps the first time in our lives.

Blaine, on the other hand, looked at me with exasperation. "Sabrina, you reckless _sunnuva_...!" He wiped his brow with a handkerchief as he ran to me. "I admire your gumption, but what in the heck were you _thinking_ back there!?"

I grinned weakly, as I plucked a Pokéball from my waist and let Espeon out. "You're welcome." I said with a fist on my hip.

Espeon approached Blaine with a pile of notes, and a single thick notebook, in his surprisingly capable jaw.

"Y-you..." Blaine scrambled through the notes, his eyes widening so far I could actually see them from behind his round dark glasses. "... Spunky young _fool_!" He laughed, slapping his forehead. "How _dare_ you risk your life for something so _trivial_!?"

Espeon yipped up at me proudly, and I smiled back down at him. "So, you want me to take them back?" I smirked at Blaine with a chuckle. I could sense him rolling his eyes as he slapped me heartily on the back, somewhere between overjoyed and furious with me.

"_HEEY_!" came Misty's voice from the bay. She was sat atop her Milotic's back, beckoning for Erika and myself to come aboard. "The island's burning to a crisp, can't your banter wait!? Get _onn_!"

The trip across the ocean was treacherous, but Misty was completely in her element. She expertly manoeuvred Milotic around the dangerous waves, but kept the Pokémon too steady for us to ever worry about being thrown off.

Lorelei's Lapras was ferrying herself and Blaine, while Misty's Lapras carried a couple of other strong Trainers. We were essentially the ship's defences against the smog and the storm.

But thanks to the Pokémon, nothing out here was anywhere near as dangerous as what we had all already been through tonight.

Erika was gripped tightly onto me from behind. I reached back and held her hand. Clammy or not, neither of us wanted to be apart for another second.

"Holy Red Gyarados, Sabrina!" Misty excitedly exclaimed back to me. "So not only did you see a Legendary Pokémon with Lorelei, but apparently you looked like an action movie hero in that Mansion! Looks like I still have a lot of work to do if I wanna keep Kanto's star spotlight on myself!"

I blushed slightly irritably, both baffled and amazed by her ability to lighten the subject.

But... we had saved a significant number of lives. People were _safe_. So I couldn't say her efforts weren't welcomed, by the amusement I felt in my heart.

"Well... rumours may play up my exploits, somewhat." I closed my eyes and mumbled, awkwardly scratching my face. "And I still have no interest in being a _movie star_ or anything anyway. That's all yours."

"C'monn Sabrina!" Misty laughed back at me. "It's no fun without competition!"

I laughed awkwardly and stared down at Milotic's back, my scalp feeling a little hot and flustered. I was too overwhelmed by intense relief that my plan had _worked_ to think about how 'cool' I may have looked.

Even though I did feel pretty... _reliable_... for a moment there.

Like I wanted people to know that they could really count on me. Like... the way **_I_ **felt, about the Trainers who had inspired _me_.

"O-oh!" I suddenly remembered. "Speaking of Legendary Pokémon, did none of you really see it at all!?" I asked Misty, still feeling like my experience earlier was strangely dream-like. "Wouldn't it be weird if the Champion showed up, but didn't help anyone?"

"That's just the thing!" Misty grinned, excitedly rubbing the sea salt from her nose. "Earlier I didn't believe you, but almost everyone saw an eerie blue glow from above the smog at various points throughout the night. They say whenever it appeared, the flames died down and the flow of lava began to slow or harden...

S-so I guess... now, I _do_ believe you!"

The Champion... and their Articuno.

It feels almost like that Trainer has become so extraordinary, that they themselves are becoming the stuff of legends...

After sailing north for just a couple of hours, we all saw a bright, yellow beam of light.

A welcoming light... a glow so familiar it caused a rush of emotion in all of us.

Misty whooped in celebration. Cheers rang out from the ships. Even the Water Pokémon escorting the ships cried out in ovation.

Erika's voice cracked as she heaved out in relief, nuzzling her nose into my neck. I leant back into her and smiled, letting tears of relief build in the corners of my eyes.

...

Once the boats had moored securely at Pallet Town, the injured begun to be safely escorted by Pokémon Centre helicopters off to proper medical facilities. Paramedics on the scene promptly began to get more serious injuries under control before moving them to hospitals.

"F-_FATHER_!"

A young blue-haired boy, who I recognised as Walker's son, was beside himself in furious anguish. Tears streamed down his cheeks, as he gripped tightly onto his barely-conscious father's hand.

"H-hey, squirt..." Walker coughed weakly. "Looks like your old man got himself inta a bit of trouble, eh...?"

"Y-you stupid old fool...!" the kid squeaked in between tears, tightening his grip. "H- _*hiccup*_ h-how're you supposed to run the Gym like THAT!?"

"H-heh... hehehehh _*cough cough*_." Walker's voice wheezed in strain as he laughed weakly. "G-guess it's pretty rude of me t' call Violet City's _new Gym Leader_ 'squirt', huh?"

The boy's eyes widened as he grit his teeth, another wave of tears brimming from his eyes. "Y-you old moron...! _Idiot_!" The boy balled his fists and leaned his forehead into his dad's shoulder, as paramedics began to safely help both of them onto a helicopter together.

After helping to make sure all the wounded were safe, Erika and I wasted no time in rushing towards the source of the intense yellow beam of light.

The one that had guided the ships through the darkness.

And the moment Jasmine spotted us, both her and Amphy charged and leapt onto us with such force that we were almost toppled clean off our feet, onto the soft grass.

We all squeezed each other tightly, as Jasmine sobbed loudly into our shoulders.

I had never been more relieved to see them both in my entire life... and the way she wailed while clutching us so tightly... it hit home just how much we both meant to her.

As Erika giggled and ran her hand comfortingly through Jasmine's hair, and I reassuringly petted Amphy's nose, I spotted Lorelei out of the corner of my eye. She was being scolded by an unfamiliar tall woman; her blue-silver hair drooped all over the both of them as she tightly hugged Lorelei's head and cried into her shoulder.

Lorelei and I caught each others' gazes, and gave each other an exchange of confident, relieved smiles.

...

The entire night felt like a long nightmare. Even looking back on it, it felt like it had lasted an eternity.

Despite that though, the late-summer sun was only just starting to offer its mid-morning glow when Lance finally arrived to take to take us home.

"My apologies for the wait." Lance said back to the two of us, as we soared through the clouds on Dragonite's back. We basked in the fresh warmth and clean air, after our night in hell.

"It's been an extremely busy and testing night for everyone, and I hadn't realised how short on Flying-Type experts we were." he continued.

I chuckled to myself awkwardly. "It's quite all right. I should get myself a Xatu one of these days... I'd just be really glad for the HM Fly."

We were all exhausted. Part of me couldn't wait to get home, flop onto my futon, and sleep for a whole day.

Even so... after everything that had happened, I think both Erika and I were really happy to spend a little time with everyone. Just... making sure everyone was okay. Being there for those who weren't. Giving our friends some much-needed hugs... giving my Pokémon the thanks they deserved, for all the incredible and brave things they had accomplished.

Arceus... I really have changed, haven't I?

"I picked you both up from Saffron last night, but would you prefer if I stopped off at Celadon City on the way?" Lance asked.

I shot a look back at Erika to see if she had heard him - but she had fallen asleep with her head on my shoulder. I was amazed she was fearless enough to sleep on a trip like this... but I was so tired that I could hardly blame her myself.

"Mm... Straight to Saffron City is fine."

I saw Lance nod. "Got it."

There was a brief, awkward silence, before he continued to speak. "By the way... I only just realised that this is the first chance we've had to actually talk. Even though we appeared in magazines together and everything." I heard him chuckle quietly.

"'Together', yeah." I scoffed a laugh, remembering how we had been photo-edited into marketing images together, despite having never met in person before.

Lance laughed a little more loudly, and I smiled. Guess he found it pretty absurd too.

"I remember hearing from the production company that you weren't very keen on the whole idea yourself," he continued, "but you really seem like a natural at it! And after hearing about what you accomplished today, I think it's easy to see why people say you inspire them."

I had opened my mouth to object to his claim that I was a 'natural', but what he said afterwards had gotten stuck in the front of my mind, leaving me blinking like a Stantler in headlights. I stared pensively down at the distant green fields and towns below.

My 'cool' image. My ability to perform, or look good in front of a camera... it's _not_ natural.

It was trained in me from youth, by a family of psychics who wanted to commodify my abilities. Just like they had done their whole lives.

It's because of _them_ that I grew up so emotionally ignorant... distant... 'cool'. And I've only just begun to recover from that. I wanted to break _free_ from that harmful creed, that claimed emotions were detrimental.

B-but... if I really _could_ 'inspire' people, like Lance said I do... if I could inspire people anywhere _near_ the way Lance did. The way Erika and The Champion did for _me_...

"Uh, everything all right?" Lance asked awkwardly, glancing back at my daydreaming face. "Apologies if I said something insensitive."

"U-oh, uh... yes, don't worry. What you said just reminded me of something, is all." I snapped back to reality and tried to smile stiffly. "B-but uh... thank you. F-for the compliment, I mean."

His expression softened into a relieved smile. I could scarcely believe that Lance, of all people, could be clumsy in social situations too (though still a far-cry from me, apparently... ugh). He turned back forward, and gave his Dragonite a reassuring pat as the flight continued.

Lance wasn't a particularly chatty person, but that was fine. Neither was I.

I felt a comfortable peace regardless, though a lingering uncertainty still tugged at my guts.

Just... a little leftover anxiety. From the emergency we had just faced, surely?

I thought back to how normal things had seemed just last night. Well... 'normal', save for the burning sick feeling of anxiety I felt so distinctly in the pits of my stomach before I went to sleep. Then the nightmares of drowning in flame... then waking up feeling like I had a Slugma in my throat.

It would be nice to get a hang on this... 'future-seeing' thing, huh...

Actual vivid visions of the future are so few and far between, especially ones of events longer than a few weeks away. Only the vision of that Trainer I didn't recognise - the one I had foreseen over two years ago when I fought the Champion - still remained unclear to me.

Anyway. I digress.

The point is, it would be a _lot_ more helpful if I could tell the difference between my psychic foretelling powers acting up, and just plain human inconveniences like anxiety or physical sickness.

Maybe... maybe these bracelets I got recently could help with that, too...?

My mind reeled as I played the events in that basement over again in my head... the sheer power my telekinesis was capable of.

All this time, I had no idea that my potential was that incredible.

_My_ power, I had to remind myself. _My_ potential. These bangles had been designed to help me focus, train, and make the most of my innate abilities. They weren't like steroids or drugs, altering my abilities or giving me a power that wasn't mine. I trusted her judgement. I trusted Erika.

Erika...

I leant back into her, sleeping soundly against my shoulder. I nuzzled her hair, still stinking of ash and smog despite how radiant it seemed as always.

'_We both really need a shower..._'

...

"We're closing in on Saffron City now." Lance said as he turned to me. "Seems like the Silph Co. building is very abuzz this morning."

That made sense. They had tech that was useful in emergencies, so they must have had people working throughout the night. They were also probably working to fix the Pokégear signal outages.

I would have to thank them later.

I scrunched my eyes and stretched my right arm into the air, mumbling sleepily and feeling the wind on my fists. With a yawn, I carefully turned to shake Erika, who was seriously very talented at holding onto me safely while she napped against my back. "Honey, we're back."

She smiled sweetly as she roused from her sleep and briefly pressed her nose to mine, before reeling back slightly. "O-oh Arceus, you stink."

"_Now_ you realise?" I giggled with a grin, making her laugh. She subconsciously covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed, but I still heard her snort adorably.

Out of habit, Erika checked the Pokégear on her wrist. "O-oh!" she exclaimed, her expression waking up. "Looks like these are finally working again, too." she began to busily fiddle with it, checking that everyone we knew had made it back home safely.

"That's a relief." Lance sighed to himself, briefly glancing at his own. "Though I do wonder what caused the outage in the first place, they would have been extremely helpful last night."

My eyes were trained on the Silph Co. building... and I couldn't help but remember the other mishaps these little gadgets had gone through over the last year.

"Hey, Lance..." I began to mumble almost subconsciously as a memory suddenly bubbled up. "Whatever happened to that initial shipment of Pokégear sent to Johto? I recall they had agreed for you to handle it, but it never showed up...?"

He shot me a sheepish smile and sighed. "I suppose I can tell you... you were involved as well, after all.

That whole batch just... vanished, and no one knows why or how. That was a very expensive shipment... the international police were dragged in to help investigate and everything."

So it _wasn't_ just a strange example of Silph Co. incompetence... it sounded like something serious may have actually happened.

My Gym was in sight. The lights were off in Kiyo's Gym next door, serving as a grim reminder that he had been hospitalised for his dislocated shoulder. This wasn't the only thing causing a nagging uncertainty to tug uncomfortably at my guts, either...

... Because I then felt my stomach trying to spit uncertainty back up my throat, as I spotted the police at my front door.

"Speak of the Giratina." I mumbled quietly.

Sensing my quietly trembling arm and seeing me bite my lip, Erika reassuringly squeezed my shoulder. "Maybe he's just here to ask about last night?"

"I-I'm... not sure." I reached for Erika's hand and gripped it. "I know that officer. He's from the international police... this could be serious."

And from Lance's own quiet shock, I suspected I may be right.

Lance and I disembarked from Dragonite as soon as it was it was close enough to the ground, followed by Erika who was a little slowed by her kimono.

The officer was stood at the side of my door, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his large brown trench-coat. He had evidently been waiting for us, as he began to pace quickly towards us the moment we landed.

"Detective... Looker, was it?" I asked sternly, as we approached one another.

The dark-haired man nodded, an amused grin briefly flickering onto his face. "That is my name! I am very much humbled that you would remember, Gym Leader Sabrina."

"What seems to be the problem, Detective?" Lance asked hurriedly, clearly just as anxious to get to the point as I was.

Looker swiftly, dramatically, pointed towards the centre of the city - at Silph Co.'s headquarters. As Lance and I stared at the helicopters whizzing around and the commotion coming from nearby... it didn't take long to figure out what Looker was getting at.

"Team Rocket has returned to Saffron City."

I heard a slap sound, as Erika planted her hand on her face and dragged it down past her exhausted eyes. "Ugggh... why today. Why _today_, of all days!?"

"Precisely because it _is_ today, Gym Leader of Grass Erika." Looker solemnly cupped his chin in his hand and scrunched his face in thought. "With the strongest of Kanto all occupied, the slimy Raticate took the opportunity to re-emerge and to undermine!"

Erika shot an irritated, tired glare at Looker. "Don't compare those scumbags to innocent Raticate, thank you."

A broad, apologetic grin spread across Looker's mouth. "Hahah! Right you are, in regards to my foolish comment!"

"Ugh, I don't _need_ this today." I spat. I was angry. I was _furious_.

Those subhuman criminals had used a national crisis as a distraction to crawl out from the underbelly of society like insects to further their own trivial and selfish evils!? I had no interest in waiting for help. I was tired. I was stressed. I just wanted to shower, and go to _bed!_

I took a deep breath in and clenched my fists at my sides. I tried to concentrate on my bracelets instead of letting myself get worked up by anger. "Whatever. I'm sick of these pathetic cowards, I'm going to drive them the _hell_ out of _my city_. Right _now_."

And with that, I began to impatiently march towards the centre of the city.

"It is normal for Leader Sabrina's hair to be floating in such a scary way?"  
"You're supposed to be the _police_. You're coming too, right!?"

I heard Looker and Erika's voices muttering from behind me, but I was too tired to focus on anything else. I just wanted to get this done. It actually took me a few moments to realise that Lance had caught up to me, matching my brisk stomping with his own more gliding strides.

The fury in his eyes matched how I felt inside though. His red eyebrows made him look truly fearsome when he was mad - like a Dragon.

Catching my glance, he gave me a subtle nod before staring ahead with resolve. "I didn't do enough to stop Team Rocket the last time they were active in Kanto... and because of that, a kid ended up doing all the dirty work. Work that the Pokémon League could have... no, _should_ have handled more quickly."

He flashed me a nod. "I won't make that mistake again."

I shot him a confident smirk. I couldn't help but relate a little. If I acted immediately, no one else would have to get involved.

I wanted to wipe every last trace of Team Rocket from Saffron City. Out of Celadon City. I wanted them to stay the hell away from the people and places I cared about.

There was a large perimeter around the entrance to the Silph Co. building, with police cars and barricades lined up to stop any citizens from getting anywhere near.

"O-oh, Leader Sabrina...!" a policewoman with teal-coloured hair noted with surprise as she saw me approaching. "A-and _Lance_...!?" she suddenly stood up even more straight, holding her arms straight to her side. "Everything's under control here, is there anything we can-..."

"Just let us through." I held a hand out before me, and gently dragged a barricade to the side with telekinesis.

"Leader Sabrina!" the policewoman called after us. "Be careful, there are Rockets lining the inner entrance, making it difficult to enter."

But before she had even started explaining I had already pulled a Pokéball from my waist - and Dragonite's mouth had already begun to glow an intense yellow-orange.

Upon seeing Dragonite charging its Hyper Beam, a pathetic scurrying of figures dressed in black scarpered away from the door, leaving just a couple of grunts hanging around by the entrance with their knees quaking.

The automatic doors swung open and Lance and I stepped in, energy still swirling in Dragonite's mouth as I gripped a Pokéball tightly in my hand.

"H-heh. You're bluffing." one of the Rocket Grunts cockily stuttered, sweat notably beading on his neck. "This place is too expensive for you to unleash a Hyper Beam all willy-nilly!"

"Gallade." I muttered, slipping the Pokéball dexterously from my grasp. Within moments, Gallade appeared in a flash of brilliant light, with the blades of his arms held dead-still around the cocky Rocket's neck. He stumbled backwards in shock, pricking the back of his neck on one of Gallade's arms with a squeak.

"W-w-wait! What!? A Gallade!? N-no one told us you had a _Gallade_...!"

I raised an eyebrow at him and crossed my arms, smirking confidently at his exasperation.

"Why, was I supposed to?"

The Grunt continued to slowly back away from me, sweat trickling down his brow as he was followed in-pace by Gallade's blades. "N-no, what I mean is, that data given to us by Admin Petrel was incomple- uh... darn it!" the Rocket slapped his hands over his own mouth in realisation.

'_Admin... Petrel...?_' I stopped in my tracks.

The name sounded... strangely familiar.

... _Annoyingly_ familiar. I clutched at my elbow and began to irritably tap at my arm with my index figure, scowling at the Rocket. He stared back at me, his eyes quaking in their sockets in fear as mine and Gallade's cold glares pierced right through him.

"Sabrina!" Lance's voice broke me out of my brief stupor. "Leave him, it's not like he can escape to anywhere."

Lance gestured towards the elevator with a grin. The number on the elevator's display was climbing. "But... that other Rocket who was snaking around down here can lead us right to their boss."

I thrust my glowing left arm to the side; in sync, Gallade shoved the Rocket to the ground with his left arm. We both began to march towards the elevator, following Lance.

"11F..." Lance huffed a chuckle to himself and got into the elevator next to it. "Predictable. Cliche, almost?"

I stomped into the elevator next to him, but I was now too distracted by my thoughts to laugh along with his confident demeanour. "Petrel..." I mumbled to myself. "Dammit..."

The elevator doors closed behind me and Gallade, as Lance pulled Dragonite back into his Pokéball to save room. "You... know him?" Lance raised a concerned eyebrow at me.

"Not exactly." I rolled my eyes and rubbed my forehead with a couple of fingers, still trying to connect the dots in my head.

"It's kind of a long story, but... ugh. I really _should_ have seen the warning signs."

* * *

**x**

* * *

**_(Notes: What better time than a respite chapter to tie in a ton of plot points?_**

**_Starting "Sabrina" with the Cinnabar Eruption arc meant that a lot of the plot threads introduced in "Erika" have gone unaddressed... until now. This felt like the perfect time to tie everything together._**

**_For those of you who want to remember when these topics were last foreshadowed, look no further!_**

**_\- Sabrina meeting Looker: Erika ch4  
_****_\- PokéGear shipment issues: Erika ch12 + 15  
_****_\- Lance and Sabrina appearing together on a magazine: Erika ch15_**

**_Those of you with particularly good eyes and memories may also be able to remember when I first foreshadowed the Team Rocket stuff back in Erika... but more on that another time._**

**_This chapter is about getting things grounded, reminding us of where Sabrina's been, and hinting at where she's going to go next. What's going to become the main theme of the story is alluded to a few times here, some of you can probably figure it out already._**

**_On a slightly-related note, some of you may have noticed a very intentional bit of dramatic irony when Sabrina was talking to Misty early in the chapter. It fit so well, I couldn't help it!_**

**_By the way, has anyone been wondering where the bracelets came from, or where Gallade came from? Hmm..._**

**_PS. I'm still so glad for the HM Fly!)_**


	5. (Bracelets)

**x**

* * *

It was around... mid to late-summer now? Already a few months since Erika and I had our big argument, heart-to-heart, mushy making up session. You know the one.

We laid the past bare before us in order to better understand each other in the present... and came away with a trust in one-another that was stronger than I had ever felt in anyone. I think she felt the same.

Back when all that ended I thought that was that; I'd plateaued! I'd thought about Erika, I'd talked about Erika, to Erika, to be with Erika, to understand Erika.

So I was on track to having everything figured out, right? Myself, how to have friends, how to love. More importantly, how to love _healthily_.

How to fill that chasm in my heart, keep it warm, fulfilled. How to ignite that aching inspiration inside me, and have it rumble away warmly in my soul instead of serve as a constant reminder of how empty my life was.

But the last couple months definitely didn't go as expected _either_. Nothing ever seems to, anymore... everything is constantly changing, in flux. Evolving, I guess. And I _don't_ just mean my Ralts.

It sounds cheesy, but our lives have all been evolving, and in sharp shifts of change rather than slow or steady change. Like Pokémon! And like with Pokémon, all it took was how we influenced and changed one another. Like... training, almost. Mm... maybe that's taking the metaphor a little far.

Uh, to put it another way...

My life didn't stop being interesting, just because I had resolved the 'source' of my uncertainty and successfully unravelled those knots in my heart. Other knots still appeared. Other questions conjured up. New days brought new faces, new things to discover about humans, Pokémon, nature, the world, myself.

Erika coming into my life had simply made my world bigger. Not just through her eyes, but my own.

And I'd be lying if I said the uncertainty in my life had vanished, honestly. The mistakes and loneliness of my past, perhaps, _weren't_ the source of that uncertainty after all. Or were they? The thing is, while I was happier now than I had ever been before, I still asked those questions.

Is there more to 'Sabrina' than being a Psychic Trainer? Is there more to me than _battles_? Being a Gym Leader? More to my goal in life than just... doing what I'm good at, to get by?

Anyway, I guess the point is! More introspection? Let's do that.

Let's see... what have we missed?

Right, so... the week after my heart-to-heart with Erika, we agreed to start trying to do those tea meetups in Celadon City again, every Wednesday morning, like before. She was still very busy with reforesting Viridian and the pollution problem in Celadon, but we had come to understand just how important those breaks were. Not just for me, but for her as well.

Jasmine was really happy about it; it seemed like this was the only regular break she had from work as well. A few other regulars - Misty, Brock and Whitney - also showed up from time to time. It was... weirdly nostalgic? It had only been a year and a bit since we first started doing these, so it feels weird to say that.

Maybe because of how much had changed.

Not long after that, we started to notice that we hadn't actually heard from Janine in a little while. At least a month, maybe more?

The Safari Zone stuff had all gone so quiet so suddenly. I guess it made sense. Our last meeting about it had this strange sense of... finality, to it.

Then Misty, gossiper that she is, suddenly turned up one day excitedly shouting "Guys, guys, Janine became a Gym Leader! Janine took over at Fuchsia Gym!"

It came so suddenly that I probably would have literally dropped my teacup if I was holding it. Erika, Jasmine and I all stared at her wide-eyed, our jaws agape.

According to Misty, Janine had been training intensively in secret for the past few months in preparation. This was just part of why she had relaxed about the Safari Zone when we had last seen her.

Her training was accelerated because Koga, the ex-Fuchsia Gym Leader, had been offered a permanent position at the Elite Four! Secretive stuff, but Janine's calmer, more mature and driven attitude did make more sense once Misty told us.

Knowing about this was also why I was fairly unsurprised when Lorelei told me about the Indigo League's shakeup, while we were at Seafoam Islands together last night.

I mean, we didn't exactly have reason to _believe_ Misty's gossip, but she seemed to be pretty good with this kind of thing. The next time we saw Janine a few weeks later she confirmed as much anyway.

"Y-yeah... it's true..." Janine blushed and awkwardly scratched her face, "B-but I've only been doing it for a _couple of days_ now! How did _you_ all find out!?"

We all stared at Misty, who sheepishly rubbed the back of her head and winked at us. We decided _not_ to question how she had known something weeks before Janine had even officially taken the position.

Maybe being good at finding gossip was its own kind of psychic power...

Hm... nah, probably not. That would be too silly.

Anyway, tangents aside. Erika and I had barely even noticed Janine not being around anyway! After my spat with Erika, we both focused so much on each other for a little while that everything else just kind of blurred on by, really quickly.

Intentionally or not, we spent weeks seeing each other a lot more regularly, trying to improve our understanding of each other and where we stood. What we could do to make life easier for each other, what we could do to make our relationship a more comfortable place to be.

I already had confidence that Erika loved me, and she knew that I loved her. Still, we've really worn our feelings for each other on our sleeves since that argument. We both worked so hard to be more accommodating.

Erika, especially, was quick to jump through as many hoops as she _could_ to make things up to me.

The moment I asked her to try and stop using her hand-fan as a habit so much, she literally just went and put it away. Then, to thank me for the Sun Stone I got her as a gift, she rushed off to Johto to get me a Dawn Stone in return.

If you _were_ wondering where Gallade came from, now you know!

She didn't seem ready to forgive herself for everything just yet, despite my reassurances. I actually had to ask her to slow down a little bit, because we both knew that she was prone to overworking herself and beating herself up for not being 'perfect' enough...

Plus, the point of the Sun Stone wasn't _just_ to be a gift. It was for spending time together at the National Park, which we _still_ haven't gotten to do.

So, we agreed to help each other at a pace that was good for both of us.

We spent time at each others' Gyms, both training and chatting, but I guess the main thing we had been working on together since then was... Well, it was mostly her idea. She was extremely keen about it...

Nothing hugely exciting or anything, just a bunch of experiments. Trial and error, and stuff.

I'll just explain how it turned out.

* * *

**One night last week**, I opened my front door to be greeted by the faint light of the moon and a warm late-summer breeze on my face. I'm sure the deliveryman could tell by my expression that I wasn't exactly happy to see him.

"Delivery from Silph Co." the man said with a carefree grin, not a hint of remorse for having woken us at _3AM_. "Sign here, please." he showed me a clipboard after he carefully set the package on the Gym's porch.

I rubbed some of the sleep from my eyes, another telltale sign that I was not at my best - I couldn't simply energise myself with telekinesis the same way I could smooth down a bed-head with it.

"Since when does Silph Co. deliver at such absurd hours..." I mumbled irritably to myself, as I took the clipboard from the deliveryman and whipped out a pen. I usually kept one nearby for autographing purposes.

"Couldn't say, ma'am," the deliveryman fastened his brown cap over his jet black hair. This gesture covered his eyes, but momentarily drew my own towards a mole underneath his left eye. "I just handle deliveries as I'm told, 'n' stuff."

I grumbled drowsily; this company never ceased to find ways to exasperate me.

As I scribbled down my signature, I felt a couple of hands excitedly clasp my shoulders from behind. Of course, I knew she was there. Not even because I sensed her presence or anything. It was just... like her, really. Nonetheless, my mood quickly felt a little lighter and my irritation softened.

"Ooh ooh! Ooh! _Ooh_!" Erika excitedly squeaked as she quietly pranced up and down. I sighed aside to her, only half-realising that I had just finished off my signature using telekinesis to move the pen. I was... admittedly, too distracted by her pink pyjamas. Again.

As the weather was still so hot, she just wore a light, pink nightshirt with a darker pink floral pattern, and matching bottoms. The shirt hung loosely on her form, flowing delicately in the night's breeze. I had to force myself to avoid saying out loud how adorable she looked.

Because I had told her this already. Ad nauseam.

Compared to my plain, dark green night-gown, she was radiant. '_Not that she'd agree with that_' I thought, chuckling to myself before turning back to her.

"You think this is...?" I asked. The corner of my mouth raised in a curious grin in anticipation of her response, which gave me a pretty good idea. I could feel the pace of my heartbeat subtly rising.

Her mouth took an excited v-shaped grin as she nodded at me and huddled up to my upper arm. "Mhm, I can't think of what else it would be. Oh, thank you for working so hard at this time of night, mister...?" she cheerily waved at the deliveryman, as I handed back the clipboard and gently picked up the package.

"Petrel," he gave a simple wave back. "Enjoy the rest of your morning, ladies." he began to turn away and head diligently back in the direction of Silph HQ.

"You too, Petrel!" Erika replied before rubbing my arm, bafflingly wide awake and full of excitement.

Unfortunately, the faint telepathic anxiety I felt looking at that man was completely overshadowed by the irritation of being woken up, and the mental anxiety I felt towards our, uh... project.

I rubbed my temple, not eager for Erika's politeness to show me up. "Sure, thanks." I managed to force out, before gently shutting the Gym's doors behind us again.

Quickly putting 'Petrel' out of my mind, I briskly made my way into the living area with the package under my arm, with Erika excitedly orbiting me like a satellite.

"So..." I sleepily smiled, my eyes lidded. Because I already knew what her answer would be. "You're not going to let me go back to bed until I open this, right?"

"Of course not!" Erika clasped her hands together excitedly. "I literally _can't wait_ to see your reaction, please please open it!" she squeaked, her eyes glittering expectantly at me. She already knew I wouldn't refuse. She just... loved teasing me like this.

Her excitement was so infectious that I even found it a little easier to pretend I didn't desperately want to just go back to bed. All right, then...

It was still difficult to hide my anxiety though. My heart began to race uncomfortably as I found a sharp knife to smoothly cut the tape on the box. It was so important to Erika that I liked, no... _loved_ this.

Admittedly though, everything about this whole thing would make me extremely uncomfortable if it was _anyone_ but her. I scrunched my eyes shut as I pulled open the box flaps, Erika excitedly gripping my arms as I did.

"Are you sure you want to be so close?" I mumbled, trying not to seem too worried so I didn't hurt her feelings. "What if-..."

"I trust it." Erika gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. "I trust that this really is the final version, and more than anything I trust _you_."

I scrunched my face a little again, still anxious that she was so trusting with something designed to catalyse my abilities. Abilities that I had occasionally considered unpredictable and even dangerous ever since my school days.

But Erika... was the _one_ person who had seen my outbursts on more than a couple of occasions - and she, unlike anyone else I knew, wanted me to genuinely believe they weren't _at all_ dangerous. That they were just as much an extension of myself as my arms or legs were.

So, these...

I dunked my arms into the box, delicately pulling out a couple of thick, cobalt-black bracelets. I weighed them delicately in my hands... despite their solid appearance, they weren't that heavy.

Or, rather, they weren't exactly _light_, but they were designed to match the subconscious psychic energy of my body so well that I would scarcely even notice they were there.

The design had gone through a fair few iterations, among other things, but the final version was simple and sleek, yet bulky and firm so as not to move or jangle around too much while I battled. Faint green markings ran along each quarter of them, with one green indentation running along the outer circumference.

The colour was designed to look muted normally, but would glow a more intense green when I used my abilities. The more intense my mind's force, the more the green would seep from the markings and into the blackness of the bangles.

It did look 'cool' Erika said - and I guess I agreed. Still, in practicality this was to serve as a sort of feedback for myself, to help me keep track over when I was using my abilities or not, even subconsciously.

... Of course, that was all in theory.

"Come on!" Erika clenched her hands around my arm affectionately again. "The quicker you put them on, the quicker I'll let us go back to bed, right?"

... Right. I sighed deeply again.

_This_ had been our project for the last few months. Pretty soon after we argued and I started trying to get Erika to avoid her own unhealthy habits, she confidently told me that she also wanted to help me reach a point where I would no longer panic about or feel scared of my powers.

Considering how sensitive I was about them, and how she was the only person who knew just _how_ anxious I got about them, I didn't take her lightly. I believed that she was serious; and she was.

She took me to Silph Co. and demanded they help us with research and development, as thanks for everything I had done for them over the last few years. She also insisted the research would help them gain new understanding in the field of psychic abilities, which they could then use in other products for both people and Pokémon.

They agreed, obviously. Erika had a way with words, and... she wasn't exactly wrong.

Within weeks, prototypes of psychic-powered jewellery, clothing, hairbands and other accessories had flown through testing and trial phases. Things that were intended to resonate and react to my innate abilities and alter the ease with which I could control them.

See, psychic abilities are ultimately another part of nature, rare though they seem.

Understanding Psychic-Type Pokémon means we know that certain Items can influence their abilities when held. So we already know that some materials and elements fundamentally react to or catalyse psychic abilities in different ways. Stones and gems, plants, chemical liquids, even different kinds of food.

If my psychic abilities were an extension of my body and mind, then of course they would react or resonate with certain things that my body found particularly healthy or had an aversion to. Sort of like allergies.

Some kept my abilities activated constantly and made me jittery, others near-silenced them completely. Some boosted my abilities, almost like steroids, while others made them feel like they weren't even my powers, like I was detached from them.

After some months of throwaway designs, lab explosions, and a lot of frizzy hair for myself and everyone else involved... these bangles represented the culmination.

I would be lying if I said it wasn't fun too. Using my abilities for my own sake in all kinds of funny arbitrary tests, being encouraged to go all out on purpose, while Erika seemingly enjoyed every moment of exploring my powers with me...

Being a psychic had been an _extremely_ lonely part of my life ever since I became more independent from my family. So... for her to so earnestly enable and encourage a part of me I had been so ashamed of felt... warm? Comforting.

Like maybe I didn't need to be ashamed, I guess?

I was hesitant to admit it myself, but that, at least, was what _she_ was going for.

But; that was also why _these_ made me so anxious. Because if these were a disappointment like all the others were, it'd make Erika... sad, right?

"Don't look at me like that." Erika huffed a sweet, sheepish smile and leant in to kiss me on the cheek. "This is about _you_, not me, remember? I'll never give up on you... if it doesn't work, we'll just try again."

... Yeah. A comforted smile spread across my face as I looked back at her.

It was like she had read my mind.

The woman I was in love with, who tried more and more every day to understand the kind of person I was... because she loved me, too.

I happily leaned my head into hers' and nuzzled her cheek affectionately.

My heartbeat calming and my breath happily steadying, I put the bracelets on.

Mercifully - but as expected - nothing bad happened when I put them on. Despite their bulky appearance, they felt comfortable - as expected. The most inconvenient thing would be wanting to lean my arms on a table or something without taking them off first, I guess.

It wasn't like this was the first time trying the final iteration of the project either. There were like... prototypes, that I had been fairly comfortable with already. These were a finely tweaked version that had, hopefully, virtually all potential issues ironed out.

I outstretched my fingers on each hand and made gripping motions, as I began to allow my psychic energy to run through my body. As expected, the markings on the bangles began to glow. I focused my energy into my left hand and the left bracelet glowed a more intense green.

Then I took a deep breath to relax, and the glow faded.

Erika started clapping excitedly beside me. "So! How do they feel?"

"So far so good..." I looked at my wrists and a small smile crept onto my face. "At the very least it's nice that it worked right away, unlike some of the other things we went through." I turned to her with a grin and giggled. She sighed in relief, holding her hand to her chest and smiling sweetly at me.

For a few days, Erika had to remind me to wear the bangles so it could become a bit more of a habit.

To my surprise though, I actually found myself looking forward to using them in Gym battles.

They looked _cool_, after all! The Trainers with enough confidence to actually say that out loud even told me as much, seeming more eager than ever for autographs and the like.

It's so... weird.

I used to really dislike this kind of attention, but... now? I found myself almost... pleased about it. Proud, maybe?

Erika said it may have been because this was action I was taking to improve my own life, rather than living the life I was 'expected' to live. And, sure, Erika was the one who nudged me towards this kind of change... but she was right. The whole point was to help me become more comfortable with who I _was_, not who I thought I was 'supposed to be'.

There was an element of placebo to it, as well. An accessory I had made for myself with someone I emotionally trusted helped me feel comfortable that these powers were _mine_, and not something wild I was almost scared of, that other people should be scared of.

Their easily readable feedback helped me to more easily and safely experiment with techniques and strength-levels I wasn't used to... Their passive nature helped me figure out what was psychic and what was physical when it came to my health, and so on... Basically, within one short week I had already started to feel a little more understanding of myself.

These bracelets were the first step towards me making my psychic ability into my own. A self-styled extension of Sabrina, the person, rather than a commodity for 'Sabrina' the brand.

And... well.

Apparently they worked _so_ well, that for a week or so, I had completely forgotten just how _off_ I felt about that Petrel person. Little ironies, right?

In retrospect, something about that man really _did_ irritate me. I just wish I had realised that sooner. If I had just followed that little nag in my mind and given him a more thorough read, I probably could have stopped him and Team Rocket's plans then and there.

Tch.

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(Notes: To round off the Cinnabar Island arc and head into the next chunk of the story, Sabrina summarises the events between "Erika" Ch18 and "Sabrina" Ch1. It's not like Sabrina and Erika's relationship immediately became perfect after their argument, since Erika was evidently still struggling to properly relax - but they're really trying!**_

_**This was originally going to be Chapter 1. In fact, a big chunk of the scene where Petrel delivers the box was actually written late last year when I was first trying to draft this... but it just didn't feel right, and I struggled with writers block for a while thinking of how to make it work.**_

_**I think it works far better as a flashback chapter after readers have already seen the bracelets in action, and are aware of Team Rocket's presence.**_

_**It's also nice as an intentional throwback to the occasionally haphazard story structure earlier in "Erika", when Sabrina told events out of order. It's still her narration after all, and when she realises "hey, in retrospect some of this stuff was actually important" she decides to tell us about it.**_

_**Like Ch4, a big theme of this chapter is 'where we've been and where we're going'. Sabrina begins to consciously realise that she wants to address more about herself than just her loneliness.)**_


	6. (Blast Off!)

**_(Notes: I was really busy in the second half of May so I fell behind uploading here... so here's both chapters 5 and 6!)_**

* * *

**x**

* * *

"Interesting." Lance crossed his arms and nodded. In contrast to my frustration at the situation, he was strangely calm - though an unmistakable irritation lurked in his disposition.

I had briefly explained to him where I had heard the name 'Petrel' before as the elevator made its way to the top floor.

"If this person has been working undercover in Silph Co. shipment for some time now," he continued. "Then the case of the missing PokéGears suddenly makes a lot more sense, too."

Oh... oh! Of course!

Even last week, the name Petrel sounded familiar. Wasn't he the one who was supposed to be handling shipments of PokéGears to Johto? Silph Co.'s President had mentioned all that so off-hand that it had completely slipped my mind.

So... Silph Co. had wasted an _awful lot_ of money thanks to one of their most trusted employees being a Rocket - right underneath their nose.

"How the heck have they had a _Rocket Admin_ working for them all this time, and never noticed?" I raised a confused eyebrow at Gallade, who simply shrugged back at me.

Lance put a tired hand to his chin, "It could simply be that once news of Team Rocket's defeat spread two years ago, everyone relaxed." he faced a resentful smile at me. "The police kept trying to wrap everything up behind the scenes, but the public and even major corporations let their guard down. Hearing 'Team Rocket is no more!' on the news for weeks on end will do that."

I sighed quietly to myself. Yeah... that made sense.

Even I resented how back then, all the officials in the city - myself included - had just left everything up to the Champion. Once that all blew over, everyone in Saffron was so quick to return to normalcy.

"Then... we'll just have to drive them out quickly this time, so no one gets hurt." I clenched my fists at my sides.

Lance nodded, as the elevator slowly reached the 10th floor. He readied his hand at the Pokéballs at his waist as the elevator slowed... then slowed... then stopped.

***DING***

The eleventh floor.

"He's right ahead," I nodded as we stepped into the hall, holding my subtly glowing hand out in front of us. "It doesn't seem like there's many people on this floor at all."

"Right, thanks Sabrina. With you here, the circumstances are very favourable for us indeed." Lance grinned to me, quickly throwing a Pokéball to the ground, from which his Dragonite not-so-subtly emerged. I guess we weren't exactly going for stealth, anyway.

"St-stay back!" yelled a Rocket Grunt who was blocking the entrance to the head office. There was a company employee tied up at his feet, a Raticate's horrifically sharp teeth hovering mere inches from the employee's neck. "Stay back, or this guy _gets it_! I ain't afraid of some hot-air _celebrities_!"

Was that how he saw us? 'Celebrities'? It was clear that he had never faced either of us in battle, then. I raised an eyebrow, though my expression remained cool and static.

"Where is Admin Petrel?" Lance yelled over to him, but kept his movements careful so as not to agitate the Rocket or his Raticate. "If you tell us now, we won't have to hurt you."

"H-heh! Hurt _me_? You talk big, but _I'm_ the one with all the chips here, right!?" the Rocket grinned, the corners of his lips evidently twitching, sweat evidently beading from his forehead.

I rolled my eyes. "Stone Edge."

With a swish of my hair, I held out a glowing hand and Gallade mimicked with his. Less than an instant later, a scattering of rocks ruptured their way up through the ground, bewildering the Rocket and thwacking his Raticate into the wall, distancing it from the bound employee.

Out of fear, the Rocket briefly glanced into my eyes.

... Bingo.

Capturing his gaze in mine, I clutched my hand in the air in front of me and stared into him. He was unable to look away. My eyes glowed an intense green, then a dazzling white. I marched towards him, my hand outstretched, my hair flowing in the air behind me, my expression blank - and made a swift gripping motion with my fist.

The Grunt stumbled backwards, barely supported by the wall behind him, sweat rolling down his face in panic. It was like the very sight of my actions had made him believe I had done something horrible to him.

I couldn't help but pity his fragile demeanour, not an ounce of resolve in his feeble mind. My eyes and hair calmed as I shot a smirk towards Lance. "Petrel is through there, the rest of the employees are locked in the basement."

Lance beamed a pleased grin and nodded. "Excellent! Brilliant stuff, Sabrina." he turned and shared a mutual nod with Dragonite, before the two of them stomped through into the President's office.

Hopelessly flopping to the ground and scrambling to get away, the Grunt's eyes appeared to quake in their sockets as Gallade closed the distance between them and put his blade close to the Rocket's neck.

"Y-you got what you wanted already, s-so j-just-..."

"'So just'...?" I stared down at him through a cold glare, a hand nonchalantly on my hip. "So, tell all the others of your 'skill' level to get the hell out of _my city_.

You are not welcome, you never will be, and the next time I get so much as an _feeling_ that you're trying to worm your way back in again, I will _annihilate_ every last one of you."

"S-soo..."

"So _run_. Like your pathetic cowardly legs so desperately _want_ to do. Get out of my sight."

The Rocket clenched his teeth in a grimace, his legs shuddering as Gallade finally retracted his blade from the man's neck. Then, with a swift flick of our wrists, Gallade and I flung the Grunt over to the elevator wall, and he limply flopped against it as his weakened Raticate hobbled after him.

Adrenaline still flowing through me, Gallade and I marched through to the CEO's office, where Lance was interrogating what looked like a... janitor?

"... And you're certain you haven't seen their Admin in this room in the last hour?" Lance crossed his arm and tapped his elbow, scrunching his face in slight confusion.

"Listen man, I just work here. My shift started like an hour ago, I got no idea where any of the employees are so get off my case, all ri-" The janitor paused, as he noticed me. His mouth hung open for a second, before he tried to re-grasp his composure and continue. "... Get off my case, all right?"

"You know each other?" Lance shot a look at me.

A light blue cap. Fair brown hair, a mole underneath his left eye and bit of a hunched back... "Nope. I have never met this person before." I replied.

And that only made it all the more _obvious_ who he was.

I marched through the room to where Lance was stood, easily capturing the gaze of the increasingly panicked janitor with my eyes and giving him a light telepathic read.

I whisked my hand in an upwards-curving motion, pulling the man's shoelace into the air as he turned to run, knocking him unceremoniously onto his rear.

"Admin Petrel." I crossed my arms and stared down at him as Lance shot a confused look to me, then glared at the man scrambling to his feet. "Fool me once, shame on you. I wasn't about to let it happen twice."

A fiendish grin spread across the janitor's face as he rose to a stand. "And here I hoped my disguise was too good for your showy psychic trash after you failed to read me last time." He groaned, theatrically throwing off his layer of disguise. His true appearance no longer surprised either of us - a man in a black Team Rocket jumpsuit, the shifty eyes of someone who should never be trusted, and grape-coloured hair.

The only thing about him that _hadn't_ changed was that mole underneath his left eye.

I still felt humiliated that I hadn't noticed he was a Rocket the first time we met, but I was too angry to let it show.

Lance, on the other hand, wasn't angry. He was _furious_.

"Cowards... cowards! Every last _one_ of you!" he threw his right hand to the side, clenching his left fist as his voice escalated. "Using the chaos and tragedy of a natural disaster to slime your way back after being humiliated... is there not a single scrap of humanity in your joke of an 'organisation'!?"

"Heh... nope." Petrel grinned facetiously, sweat dripping from his tacky beard. He sent out a Zubat and Koffing as he began to anxiously back away, shooting glances between Lance and his intimidating Dragonite. "But give us more credit, won'cha? We all think this plan of ours was pretty smart! Wanna hear it?"

Lance shot a determined glance at me, and gestured subtly towards Petrel. Quickly understanding what he was getting at, I nodded back with a grin.

"I already _know_ your 'plan'," I announced with a smirk, gesturing theatrically to myself with a swish of my hair. "and I suppose I can see why a gaggle of pretentious thugs might think they've accomplished something 'clever'."

"Eh!?" Petrel scowled over at me, a noticeable shock underpinning his frustration. "How'd you find out!? I bet whoever told you just explained it badly."

"Just kidding." I tilted my head with a shrug, before outstretching my glowing right hand and smirking confidently again. Got him.

As with the other Rocket, Petrel's eyes trembled in bewilderment as my glowing eyes stared right through his body, almost petrifying him. A little more resistance than the other Rocket, but... yes. Yeah. It didn't seem like Petrel was the highest-ranked of the remaining Rocket Admins, yet his mind still poured what he knew of their plans out to me without much difficulty.

A fairly simple scheme. Like something out of a children's video game.

Certainly nothing to brag about, but still a contemptible effort with a disregard for the lives of humans and Pokémon. Either way, I wouldn't be giving him the satisfaction of reacting.

"Okay, no longer kidding." I rested my hand on my hip as my glows calmed. "Every detail of your plan is now comfortably at home in my head, and you didn't need to explain a thing. Very convenient for you, I'm sure."

Sweat was now pouring from Petrel's forehead, making his hair look even more greasy and gross. "T-tch... Even the PokéGear stuff!?"

"Even the PokéGear stuff." I frowned, crossing my arms. Lance shot me a glance of curious concern, before turning back towards Petrel with an even more vicious glare.

The sound of a couple more Pokéballs rang out, as Petrel sent out a Raticate and yet another Weezing. "Eh, whatever!" he stood up straight again and wiped his chin with his wrist. "Now that you know Team Rocket has big plans, I don't have to play by the rules anymore anyway! You think a couple of bit-part celebrity Trainers like yourself can take on four of my Pokémon at once!?" his throat coaxed out what sounded like a weird, bassy wobble. His attempt at laughing, perhaps.

I raised my arm, and Gallade readied himself alongside me... but Lance and Dragonite stepped forward towards Petrel, and the Dragon Master briefly turned his gaze to me.

"Sabrina." Lance held a palm out towards me, gesturing for me to stop. "You now know where all the hostages are being kept... so please save them all before the Rockets have any chance to move them. Leave this to me."

I lowered my hand, my mouth agape slightly. "Are you... sure?" I asked. I couldn't help but want to destroy Petrel myself for making a fool of me the other week, but... logically, making sure the Rockets didn't have a single bit of leverage would be pretty humiliating for them too.

"Yeah, _are_ you?" Petrel raised his right eyebrow comically high and shuffled towards Lance, his four Pokémon matching their master in malicious intent. "What's a grown man in cosplay gonna do against a Rocket Admin, heh?"

I knew Petrel must have been bluffing. Everyone... _everyone_ knew who Lance was. Everyone had heard legends of his strength as a Trainer. _That_ was _why_ he was a celebrity... not because of the way he dressed...!

Lance and Dragonite stepped forward again, their steps synced in such a way that a loud ***THUMP*** thundered through the room when Lance's boot hit the ground. Despite Petrel's height, he looked... _tiny_, compared to Lance's commanding presence and demeanour.

"Team Rocket was always cowardly... always _weak_. The insecurity of those too scared of a world where forces like Pokémon were beyond humanity's absolute control... hurting other people and creatures if it meant they could take a monopoly over that power for themselves... scum like you can't be allowed to run free for a _moment_ longer."

"Team Rocket was _great_!" Petrel tried his best to make himself look tall, apparently hoping to win this battle on swagger alone. "Cut down in its prime because the boss _temporarily_ lost sight of our incredible ideals! But y'know what helps me sleep at night? Our organisation was so sheerly powerful, that the only person who was able to defeat us went on to become the _Champion_! What could a single weirdo like yourself hope to ever do against _us_!?"

"Allowing Team Rocket to spread throughout Kanto in the first place is something I feel great shame in..." Lance said. I stared at the ground, still feeling guilt from the events two years ago myself.

"... And that's why..." Lance's voice continued to escalate, growing into a roar as Petrel looked more and more tiny in comparison to the Dragon master. "I will _personally_ see to it that nothing like that _ever_ happens in Kanto again! As the _new **Champion** of the Indigo League_, I will make it my **personal mission** to wipe out _every last Rocket_ from Kanto and Johto!"

Both Petrel and myself reeled back, our eyes widening in shock, Petrel's jaw almost looking like it had dropped straight to the ground as a yucky clump of his hair flopped over his eye.

_Lance_ was... the _Champion_!? When did _that_ happen?

Was that why... Was that why Blue had been so worried about his friend? Had the ex-Champion vanished...?

"Sabrina! **GO!**" Lance turned to shout at me. "I'm going to have to ask you to save a few more lives today... Dragonite alone will be _more_ than enough for this sneak!"

"R-right..." I nodded, regaining my composure. "Right! I'm going!" I carefully stepped backwards out of the room, followed by Gallade.

Before I turned to run towards the elevator, I witnessed an overwhelming, deep blue light filling Dragonite's mouth.

And I felt the elevator occasionally trembling as it made its way down to the basement - the tell-tale signs of high-force explosions coming from the top floor.

...

Of course, as the minds of the Rockets revealed to me, almost every Silph Co. employee that had come into work today had been holed up in the basement's storage room. It was fairly easy to unlock, their minds had told me all the pass-codes I would need.

The company president was especially grateful to me, but seemed lost for words in humiliation and shame at how he had trusted Petrel with such high-level work over the years.

It's true I found the president to be quite a stuffy man, but I really couldn't help but feel bad for him. Silph had been targeted pretty relentlessly by Team Rocket over the last half-decade...

Many other employees were either offsite to help with last night's disaster, or taking the day off to visit friends and family in hospital from the disaster. Once the location and well-being of every employee had been fully accounted for, Gallade and I led the evacuation of the building in a calm and orderly fashion.

The building's foyer on the ground floor had been secured by the police thanks to my forceful entry with Lance earlier, and Looker rushed over to me the moment I emerged from the elevator with the last group of hostages.

"Ahah! You are here! You are unhurt?" Looker inquisitively and somewhat invasively paced around me, eyeing Gallade and myself for signs if injury. Before I could even respond, he quickly nodded and continued. "No no, I acknowledge your person is seemingly unharmed. The police have invited you for questioning later Sabrina, but for now we must focus on the employees."

And with that, he rushed back down the hallway towards the recently-released hostages leaving me standing there slightly aghast.

Still a little anxious, I recalled Gallade into his Pokéball. The number of police around, and the lack of any Rockets around as far as I could see, meant that the foyer was at least safe... but it was hard not to feel on-edge after everything that had happened.

Plus... I was _exhausted_. Coming down from the rush of last night and everything that had happened since we returned to Saffron, I rubbed my aching head as I meandered lightly towards Silph's front doors and into the sunlight.

As I stepped outside, almost dazed from how exhausted I was, I heard a flirty whistle coming from the corner of the building. I span around and my expression softened.

"Hey, cutie!" Erika beamed at me with a wink, her hand proudly on her hip. "You hang around here often?"

I reflexively covered my face with my hand as an involuntary smile and laugh dominated my face, some pink finally finding its way back to my cheeks. She responded with her own wide smile before gesturing her head to her side at a rather... impressive display.

Police were all huddled around a large teal tangling of vines, escorting Rocket Grunts away one by one. I approached Erika and she pulled my hip against hers', holding me to her side. It didn't take me much longer to figure out what was going on.

Tangela had ensnared and captured at least half a dozen stray Grunts, within its deceptively dense mass of thick vines.

Its body always looked so small, but seeing how many Rockets it had pulled into itself... it almost made me shudder.

"You should've seen the first Rocket that scampered his way out of the building..." Erika giggled to herself, her eyes taking a gleeful shape. "A couple of Tangela's vines lying wait outside the front doors... he never saw it coming! The _noise_ he made when Tangela grabbed his foot and pulled him in...!" she laughed a little louder, her trademark adorable snort surfacing for a blissful second.

Feeling like my tension was slipping out into the ground through roots in my feet, I leant my weight into Erika a little more. I turned my head to the left and buried my nose in her cheek, closing my eyes and breathing deeply. She still stunk of ash. I felt her hand comfortingly rubbing my side.

"You okay?" Erika muttered to me, placing a kiss in my hair.  
"Tired..." I mumbled.  
"Let's go take a long nap at your place, honey." she gave the side of my head an energising rub.  
I shook my head against hers. "Nah..." I sighed and stretched my arm into the air, grunting sleepily as I did so. "The cops wanna talk to me. Probably you, too."  
"Probably..." Erika tilted her head into mine and scratched her cheek. "They won't keep us long though, babe."  
"Yeah... I know."

...

Mercifully, she was right. It was more of debrief than an interrogation or anything.

Perks of being a Gym Leader? You become a local-government official of sorts, so you don't need to jump through too many legal hoops to get involved with police work or anything. That is to say, my actions today weren't seen as those of a lawless vigilante.

The Champion... er, ex-Champion, was a special case I guess.

There _are_ downsides to this too, of course. A powerful Gym Leader with... less than pure intentions? Could get away with some pretty nefarious things. That was one of the reasons Giovanni was able to get away with as much as he did two years ago; his role as the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto left him much more difficult to take down from an official standpoint.

Anyway.

A little run-down over what had happened, what was going to happen next... nothing unexpected at all. The police would ramp up security in the city and surrounding cities, as well as launch a full investigation into what the Rockets could be doing with the PokéGears thanks to the information I had extracted.

They asked if I was willing to continue cooperating and I, of course, was. They didn't ask me to do much I wasn't already doing though. Continue sharing information with other Gym Leaders as always, stay alert, yadda yadda.

That said, we didn't hear anything about what happened with Lance or Petrel. The police didn't sound eager to share anything _new_ with us, information wise. Just the requests for assistance.

In particular, Looker simply wanted us to be on the lookout for a young boy with long red hair. It didn't ring any bells at all, but this kid supposedly had connections to Giovanni and had gone missing.

With that, we were allowed to go mercifully promptly.

Hand-in-hand, Erika and I stumbled lethargically back to my Gym.

It was only the mid-afternoon, but due to the chaos in the city throughout the day, people had stayed indoors.

Because of this, neither of us worried too much about putting on a public face. In dire need of something to smile about, we giggled to each other and ourselves about how utterly exhausted we were. We comically slumped into each other as we neared the Gym, Erika making full use of her height by leaning her chin and cheek on my poor tired head, practically piling her arms over my shoulders from behind as I fuddled the front door open.

I lazily dropped the Pokéballs from my waist as we tumbled into the entrance hall, and patted Erika's hips for hers.

"Honey, I'm much too tired for that sort of petting." Erika snorted sleepily.

"Uuuugggh." I groaned with my own tired giggle. "Then get your butt off mine and let your _own_ Pokémon out."

With another drowsy giggle, Erika slinked her arms around my neck and kissed the back of my head before yawning and heaving herself off my poor back, letting her Pokémon out to stretch their legs.

"Alakazamm..." I yawned loudly, waving my hand in front of my mouth as my eyes scrunched shut. "Can you get the kettle on?"

"Tea..." Erika hummed as she glided towards the kitchen after Alakazam. "Teaa... My girlfriend's a genius..."

Alakazam turned back to us with a gentle smile. '_I'll help you with tea if you promise to eat something before you sleep._'

"Yeah yeah, grandpa." Erika grinned, playfully patting Alakazam on the shoulder. Alakazam chuckled to himself.

Oh yeah... that's right. Alakazam had been broadcasting his thoughts to both of us more often lately.

They got along pretty well.

For a moment, I couldn't help but feel washed over with a warm relaxation. Maybe I should have felt more nervous after all the horrible things that happened since yesterday, but... I dunno.

Watching Erika and Alakazam smiling and chatting nonchalantly as they busied themselves in my kitchen... a year ago I never would have imagined my Gym could ever have such a warm, homely feeling to it.

And I guess, in that moment, I had never been _so _grateful that I was alive. That she was alive. That we were alive, that we were here, to enjoy these simple, precious moments together.

'_What are you grinning about, Sabrina?_' Alakazam turned and me an amused look.

"Do you need a bit of babying after all the times you used your powers today?" Erika said with a sheepish smile, with a sincere tone that could have been mistaken for sarcasm if I hadn't known better.

I shook my head and sighed, then set to helping my two most treasured friends make some inspiriting refreshments for ourselves and the Pokémon.

I was so, so happy that Erika was with me that evening... and I think she felt the same way. Being near her, being able to hold her and bask in her warmth made me feel light... kept my thoughts filled with gratitude at where I was now, rather than fearful dwelling over what had happened or what could have happened.

It was thanks to that, that both Erika and I were able to sleep so easily.

Too sleepy to do anything else besides _finally_ shower, not even clearing up the comically large number of glasses left by my futon what felt like forever ago, we crawled into bed.

We leaned into each other, held each other, and fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.

* * *

**x**

* * *

**_(Notes: Phew... After six chapters, it finally feels like Sabrina and Erika's lives will be getting back to normal again. Despite that, there's still over half a year to go before the events of gen2!_**

**_Team Rocket's involvement in this story is more like an altercation than a full blown event. After all, Team Rocket was "defeated" two years ago, and their full return isn't until the events of gen2._**

**_The only characters that seemed to be actively pursuing Team Rocket between gens are Lance and Looker. At least, that's the impression I got from HGSS and episodes of Pokémon Generations._**

**_So... I decided to set that up a little here. With Lance especially, I wanted to create a little continuity for his sudden activeness in going after Team Rocket in gen2. I also foreshadow the events at Mahogany's Rocket HQ, in originating some bad blood between Lance and Petrel._**

**_Petrel's role was foreshadowed way back in Erika Chapter 11 - and I think many readers probably didn't even notice when he was mentioned. For a mole who wears disguises a lot, being mentioned without really being noticed works perfectly and that's what I was going for._**

**_Silver was mentioned too. Those of you hoping for him to appear in this story though - no promises. This was more foreshadowing the events of gen2 themselves, and a reference to the fact Looker had been seemingly looking for him in Pokémon Generations ep5._**

**_As for what Sabrina read from Petrel's mind, don't worry! There's a little more to the Rocket sub-story coming up in the next chapter._**

**_And speaking of Sabrina, she's getting cooler and cooler all the time isn't she? She's a natural at the whole "looking like a badass" thing. I wonder if she notices that yet?)_**


	7. (Moving On)

**x**

* * *

"Mm... yeah, we have been wondering what exactly happened, so..." ... "Yeah I know. After everything that happened yesterday, though... yeah, basically." ... "Mhm, we're apparently needed around this area until things settle down a little more anyway. It won't be too long, but..." ... "No, no, I've got an idea. If it's all right with you guys."

... "Well, you see... a bunch of us often get together on Wednesdays in Celadon Plaza! And since we're taking most of the week off work anyway..."

...

"Heeyy sweetie... how long are you gonna stay in bed for, mm?"

I felt a warm hand on my hair, then on my cheek, rousing me gently from my semi-conscious state. My eyes fluttered open to see Erika sat at the side of my futon, beaming her morning light down on my listless face. There was a pot of piping hot tea on the bedside cabinet. I subconsciously nuzzled my nose into Erika's hand, and reached to give it a squeeze.

"Morning..." I tried to lift myself out of bed. "You sure are active..." I yawned ungracefully, rubbing some sleep from my eyes.

I heard a comical groan from Erika, who was already dressed in a formal kimono. Admittedly, I wasn't even sure what the time was.

"Believe me..." Erika shot me a grin out the corner of her eye and handed me a teacup. "I need another nap as _soon_ as possible, but... well, it's almost midday, and today I've got... you know."

A sort of weird discomfort slipped into my stomach. After the past few days, I had somehow convinced myself that Erika and I were _well_ due a vacation... but our mundane lives, unfortunately, weren't going anywhere.

Obviously, neither of us planned on opening our Gyms that week, but... Erika had... other things.

"Viridian Forest, right?" I asked between sips of tea. Erika nodded sheepishly, with a loud sigh.

Earlier in the year, Erika had been asked to head up the revitalisation of Viridian Forest. It needed to be made safer for new Trainers to traverse after Giovanni's defeat left Viridian City administration in kind of a mess, and its forest overgrown.

Erika, being the yes-person she is, obliged herself to Viridian Forest. It became something of a breaking point for her workaholism issues.

It wasn't as though we _resented_ her work on the Forest; she was doing amazing things for a good cause after all. Still, nowadays we both joked about how irritating it was, to make it easier for her to mentally detach from it.

"Was that what that phone-call was about?" I tilted my head, as I suddenly remembered hearing Erika on the phone while I drifted in and out of sleep earlier.

"Oh, no actually, that was Lance," Erika stood up, wandering to the mirror to put earrings in and finish applying her makeup. "He wants to recap the Rocket stuff from yesterday, and Lorelei wants to speak with us too. So I said they may as well join us for some tea or sake tomorrow?"

I noticed my expression becoming a baffled-sort-of-confused as I stared at my reflection in my teacup. "Celadon's going to be full of paparazzi..."

"We'll figure something out." Erika snapped her makeup case shut, and glided over to give me a peck on the head. "As for today's Viridian Forest thing; with any luck it'll be more like a formal wrap-up. I think we're just about done, thank Arceus."

My expression brightened... I beamed at Erika, and she refracted her light back at me.

"I'll see you to the door, babe." I made myself get up, still in my pyjamas, and waddled through the Gym behind her. She giggled back at me and muttered a few things about how cute I was, which accomplished a whole bunch of smiles and blushing from me.

At the door, Erika turned back to me and gripped my elbow. She tilted her head and looked at me with a deep sigh, before leaning into me and pressing her lips to mine. I squeezed her hand and leant back into the kiss, then nuzzled my nose against hers a little once she broke away.

"I love you, Sabrina... so much." Erika sighed tiredly.

"Ugh... I _really_ don't want to go today. After everything that's happened, I..." She mumbled, as she held a hand to my cheek and stared dotingly into my eyes.

"I love you too... just come back soon and nap with me, okay?"

"Yeah..." she beamed a bright smile. "Be back soon."

Erika stepped outside and briefly headed towards the road... then stopped. She turned back at me, with a smile so exuberant that it looked like her cheeks could fall off if she smiled much harder. I saw her heave a heavy breath as she stepped back in my direction.

"Hey... Sabrina? I think I... I'm ready."

I blinked, a light blush scattering my cheeks and my eyes widening a little. "R-really...? B-but it was only a month or so ago that..."

"Yeah... I know. But every time I have to leave, it sucks more and more. My heart's already decided, it just took my brain a little longer to accept." she giggled sheepishly, biting her lip anxiously as she tilted her head sweetly at me again.

"A-all right... how ready? How soon?"  
"Tomorrow... I think maybe, by tomorrow, I'll be fully ready to move on."

* * *

"To Viridian Forest!" We all held our cups to the air in toast. "Cheers!"

It felt strange drinking sake in the middle of the week, long before the sun had set, but I held the warm cup to my mouth and drank along with everyone else.

Well, everyone besides Jasmine, who awkwardly stared into her glass of juice.

After a gulp, we all heaved out a relaxed sigh and shared smiles across the table.

It was, perhaps, a performative sigh. A pretend relaxation. But maybe pretending to relax would help us to genuinely unwind.

I rolled my head back and looked at the sky. There was a peaceful, evening-like mood, but it was barely past noon.

"Which one of you wanted sake this much? In the middle of the week? The middle of the _day_?" I rolled my head to the others with a sheepish smile.

"That would be me," Lorelei smirked with a wave. "I've been wanting to drink with some friends for a really long time, and this lined up nicely. If anyone asks, just tell them some unemployed weirdo from Four Island roped you into it." she winked.

Erika chuckled quietly behind her hand and my expression softened, while Jasmine blushed a shy smile in Lorelei's direction. Lance, still stood up and seeming a little stiff in comparison, forced a smile.

Despite how strange it felt, it _was_ admittedly... quite nice. My Psychic Pokémon had set up telepathic barriers around the area to dull the senses of passers-by, and it seemed to be working well enough at preventing paparazzi from gathering.

The Viridian Forest stuff was finally over... and sending it off with a cheers like this felt like a solid bit of closure for that little chapter. A little sake took the edge off too, but it was evident that Lance, Erika and I had no intention of getting drunk.

There were, obviously, still more pressing matters to discuss.

Lorelei expertly sensed Lance's stiffness, and decided to move the conversation along herself.

"Right, to get the heaviest stuff out of the way first... how's about a quick update on Cinnabar Island?"

Lance nodded a subtle smile. He was seemingly better at this sort of thing compared to small talk and socialising.

"The injured who made it to hospitals are going to recover just fine. While the island has been more or less abandoned, scientists are still carefully watching volcanic activity in the area. Once they're confident things have completely settled, officials are going to work on re-establishing some basic operations there, like a Pokémon Center."

As with the night of the disaster, he sounded almost like he was re-reading something he had already said multiple times before. It was just nice to sense hope and optimism in his voice this time.

"As for... the main reason we all met here today." Lance turned towards Erika.

"Please, go ahead." She nodded.

Lance set his sake cup down on the table, clearly not intending to drink any more, then placed both his hands on it and stared his gaze across us. Lorelei kept sipping calmly, and smirked when she caught him staring at her.

"We all gave our own accounts of what happened the other day to the police, and they didn't discuss anyone else's stories. This means that none of us here know what Sabrina read from Admin Petrel's mind yet."

I nodded. I had cooperated with the police and, for now, had only told _them_ what I knew. No one else. Not even Erika.

It wasn't exactly hard for me, because the police had already indicated to me that I _could_ mention it to other government authorised Trainers, like Gym Leaders and League members, if I had wanted to.

I just wanted to wait for the right time to bring it up.

Lance stood up straighter again and crossed his arms, gripping his upper arm in his hand. "If it wasn't made clear to you all before hand, I will confirm that yes, the police have given us all the freedom to conduct in our own investigations and collaborate with each other regarding Team Rocket. The only crucial limitation is that we should try to avoid creating public panic, but stay vigilant ourselves.

So to begin, I will also confirm that Petrel did unfortunately escape from me. A man with that many Koffing and Weezing simply had too much Smokescreen for Dragonite and myself to keep up with. But; the _important_ thing is that every single hostage was set free, and I'll find him. I _know_ I will."

He looked to me, a quiet fire in his eyes. I nodded.

"With that said," he finally sat down. "Sabrina, I'd like you to tell us what you know."

Eyes turned towards me. Jasmine, who had been quietly slumped with her nose in her glass so far, sat up straight and gulped nervously as she looked at me in determination.

It wasn't a huge number of us, but so long as Lance, Erika and Jasmine were informed, it wouldn't be too difficult to keep everyone else in the loop if necessary. I stood up.

"I'll try to be as clear as possible." I began.

"First of all, Team Rocket has become fragmented and small. The Admins left over from their defeat have been explorng ways to get a message out to find Giovanni... and to that end, they infiltrated the Silph Company and intercepted the first major shipment of PokéGear to Johto."

Lance and Jasmine's eyes widened. Lance nodded slowly before responding. "Dammit... that shipment was _my_ responsibility! And I let it fall into their hands..."

"You can't be blamed." I smiled sheepishly. "Petrel had been working undercover at Silph for years already, since even before Giovanni's defeat. His, uh... _passable_ capability with disguises, allowed him to gain trust and climb up the ranks. The loss of Johto's PokéGear shipment was his most expensive - but _only_ \- 'mistake'. He was let off with a slap on the wrist; all according to plan."

"So the PokéGear outages during the disaster, were...?" Erika scowled, rising from her seat slightly. I sensed her blood boiling.

"Yes." I nodded solemnly. "Team Rocket intentionally jammed the signal using technology from the batch they had stolen. With most of Kanto and Johto's strongest Trainers handling the Cinnabar Island disaster, they blind-sided and undermined Silph."

Lance's brow furrowed, his eyes scrunched shut in frustration. He clenched his fist and grit his teeth, a little sweat building on his angered face. "Those... deplorable... _wretched_...!"

The mood around the table had become sombre, as it became clearer than ever that there was no low the remaining Rockets wouldn't stoop to.

"...But," I continued, forcing a smile. "While Petrel didn't seem to have any knowledge of the head-Admin's future plans, it does seem like Rocket will continue to try to make use of communications systems. Unfortunately for them, with Silph under my active protection now they're going to become _very_ easy to ween out from Saffron, which _is_ Kanto's communications-capital."

"And I plan on personally seeing to every last tip-off. I want to drive them out of Kanto completely." Lance replied, still furiously driven.

"Plus..." I went on. "I _did_ catch the head-Admin's name. A man named Archer."

"Archer..." Lance, now distracted from his anger, held his chin in his hand and rubbed it. "Sounds familiar. I think the previous Champion mentioned having a run-in with him two years ago."

"P-_previous_ Champion?" Erika sat up straighter in her seat, shooting Lance a confused look. "W-wait, when did _this_ happen!?"

"Whoopsy!" Lorelei set her cup down with a laugh. "You let it slip, Lance?"

"I figure it's okay for people to know, now." Lance smiled with a hand on his hip. "Long story short, the old Champion stepped down a few months ago to do some travelling and soul-searching, and I took on the Championship title myself. They're still young, so being chained to the League never seemed like their style anyway."

Erika stared down at her cup sadly, seemingly speechless. I regularly thought about how much that kid had inspired me two years ago, but had almost forgotten just how much they had impacted her as well...

"Don't take it personally." Lance chuckled awkwardly, avoiding eye-contact with anyone. "The only people who knew until now were the League, and Blue. Blue's actually been worried about them lately, since they're too occupied with adventuring to keep in contact much."

"Them stepping down when they're still so young is part of what inspired me to quit, too." Lorelei smiled, resting her cheek in her hand with an aloof expression. "I thought... man, if _they're_ in a hurry to get back out there again, there's no way I'm going to stay at that League forever too."

Erika's expression brightened, and seeing that made me smile as well. Lorelei, like us, had been inspired by that kid. It was no fluke... there was just something incredibly freeing about them.

Meeting and battling them was like being hit with a realisation that you weren't living your stagnant life to the fullest, but gently reminding you that you were still fully capable of it.

Lance smiled as well. Sensing the mood had improved, and hesitant to let things sour again, he politely took another sip of sake and then stood away from the table. "Right then. Before we all wrap up, is there anything we missed that anyone wants an update on?"

"I've had something on my mind." Erika stood up. "While you and Sabrina were in Silph the other day, Looker mentioned to me that Giovanni had a son... and yet the police never brought it up in our debriefings."

"Ah." Lance grinned calmly. "That's because it's hearsay; a rumour. Something Looker's team is currently investigating, so it's not something the domestic police at large are aware of yet. Supposedly, he was spotted Kanto shortly after Team Rocket's defeat two years ago. So if anyone hears anything new, let me know."

Giovanni had... a _son_? Part of me hoped it was nothing _more_ than a rumour... having a father like that would be too cruel.

Lance looked around. Everyone seemed content, though I couldn't help notice Jasmine was awkwardly shuffling around in her chair and fiddling with her cup.

He shut his eyes with a smile. "Well, if that's all, then-"

"W-wait, uhm...!" Jasmine finally piped up, looking away from Lance, her face slightly red. "Uh... the Pokémon? Th-the ones everyone helped evacuate... how are they all?"

Erika beamed at Jasmine. I couldn't help but smile too.

Lance turned to smile at her. "I'm glad you asked actually. I just heard this morning that a lot of them have been successfully re-wilded in appropriate habitats in Johto." He looked at her earnestly, though she struggled to maintain eye-contact with him and kept blinking rapidly.

"Th-that's good... thank you." Jasmine sighed out heavily. She was evidently extremely anxious, but I felt relief seep from her. It was as if she had been trying to make herself ask that this whole time, and had finally accomplished it.

"Thank you all for meeting here on such short notice." Lance concluded. "Erika, can I trust you to...?"

"Yes, yes." Erika gave a bubbly reply. "I'll let everyone know the most important details as soon as possible, and thank _you_ for coming all the way here for us."

With that, everyone began to move. Jasmine quickly got up and started awkwardly straying towards Saffron City, but Erika followed after her and had a little chat with her. Lorelei, Lance and I stayed at the table for a moment as Lance turned to me.

"By the way, Sabrina..." Lance awkwardly scratched at his cheek. "Bruno told me all about the things Clair said to you earlier in the year. I wanted to apologise for her behaviour." he sighed, apologetically bowing his head slightly.

I scoffed, taken aback by the sudden earnestness. "H-hey, you don't have to do that. In all honesty, I had completely forgotten about it."

Actually, I had almost forgotten they were even _related_. They were like... night and day. Lance was a sensitive, passionate person. Clair was... frustrated. Distressed.

"She's been having big self-image issues ever since I started to head up the Elite Four. She thinks I spend too much time pampering my Pokémon and having fun instead of training... and she was _especially_ angry to see that I had 'sold out' with that magazine promotion. Because of the magazine cover we shared, she took that out on you." he chuckled apologetically.

"I figured it was something like that. Don't worry." I nodded calmly, smiling back at him. I figured because... I guess, frustration at the idea of Trainers becoming 'celebrities' was something that _did_ resonate with me.

And yet, I agreed to it anyway. And so did Lance.

So... if Lance was okay with it... maybe it wasn't such a bad thing, after all?

I don't know... I no longer felt like I wanted to rush to a conclusion. I had no desire to judge people I didn't know, like Clair did.

"That's good." Lance said, his tone becoming calmer. "In any case, I want you to know that she's not a bad person. She's having a rough few years, but please don't bear her any ill-will."

"I'll let Erika know." I smirked. "I think she'd be happy to hear that too."

Lance shot me a confused grin, but shrugged. He let Dragonite out from a Pokéball and turned to saddle up. "Thanks again, everyone. I'll be in touch!"

And with that, he took off.

"Speaaaking of peoples' behaviour!" Lorelei spoke up as Lance flew into the distance. "You were with Will in the Pokémon Mansion, right? You guys get on?"

"You _know_ that fool!?" I crossed my arms and scoffed. Lorelei responded by laughing loudly, slapping her knee.

"Oh, I _knew_ you wouldn't get along! Arceus, when it comes to psychics you two are like water and oil!" she kept laughing, leaning back in her chair slightly and clutching her stomach. "He's actually one of the new Elite Four members I mentioned to you the other day, and he's pretty close friends with Karen."

"_He's_ in the Elite Four? _That_ ignoramus!?" I felt myself rising slightly from my seat in bewildered shock and annoyance, as Lorelei continued to laugh harder.

"Ahahaha! Aw, aw, hang on!" Lorelei patted my elbow as she laughed. "Try not to hate him _too_ much!" she relaxed and then patted my shoulder. "Look, he's travelled around performing a lot so he's a really good and talented Trainer, but he's not uh, very... 'worldly' about Pokémon themselves. But that's okay, right!? He's still young, he's not a bad guy."

"Yeah, yeah..." I smiled sheepishly at Lorelei. I think she was wiser than she thought she was... she just seemed to be a very people-person. Plus, she had a point... two years ago I would have looked _up_ to his attitude. Not everyone gets a crash course in loving and understanding nature like I did.

The whole conversation I had been half-watching Erika, who had just finished seeing off Jasmine. She gave Jasmine a hug, and the younger girl headed on to Saffron while Erika walked back towards the table. I got up and started to collect the cups together.

"What are you two up to for the rest of the day?" Lorelei grinned as Erika wandered back. "If anyone wants to do any more drinking or eating, I'm in!"

I looked from Lorelei to Erika, who looked at me with an amused smile. She heaved her shoulders and huffed a smile at Lorelei. "Sorry, Lorelei. We're actually... moving me in to Sabrina's place, today."

Lorelei's eyes widened as she began to get up from her seat. "W-wait what!? Hang on, I seriously thought you two were already living together!"

"Not yet!" Erika grinned, a light pink scattering her face. She turned to me, shining her warmth on me as we exchanged a doting gaze. "But... we're about to be!"

* * *

"... There. That should do for the first trip." I heard her voice drift from inside.

I was waiting outside Celadon Gym with a dozen or so large boxes, very neatly stacked in a very specific order. Alakazam, Gallade, and my Mr. Mime were beside me.

Erika had walked out of the Gym with a few smaller boxes, and expertly locked the door behind her with her hands full. As always, she was deceptively strong when it came to manual tasks. She always did have a very hands-on approach to things.

Especially compared to me. Hahah! Psychic joke.

"You sure that's enough?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. "We can carry _way_ more than this."

"But we have to walk, so I'm being careful. The roads around Saffron are all still closed, so the earliest I could get a moving van was tomorrow. And, if you drop _any_ of this stuff, I will literally cry." she scoffed, lidding her eyes at me jokingly as she began to walk down the wooded path with a few smaller boxes in her arms. "Come along then, muscle brain!"

Grinning, I calculated a sensible spread of boxes between myself and my Pokémon, with Alakazam carrying the most out of us and Gallade carrying the least.

With that, we carefully followed behind Erika, almost like a procession. She turned back and laughed playfully at us, so I jokingly reminded her to keep her eyes on the path.

"So, was Jasmine okay earlier?" I asked, as we neared the city centre.

"Oh, yeah. She's fine!" I saw Erika's head nod, though she kept her eyes front. "She's just really, _really_ shy, you know? Especially without Amphy or Whitney around. She'd never been in a casual setting with two Elite Four members before either... and the fact everyone besides her was drinking alcohol..."

That made sense. Heck, it had still been less than a year since Jasmine had become comfortable enough with _me_ for us to chat without Erika around.

Making sure Jasmine was comfortable... was so like Erika. Just one of the things I loved about her.

We attracted some stares as we wandered through Celadon and then Saffron, surrounded by large glowing moving-boxes. Once people had chattered about me a little though, they moved on. It wasn't like no one knew who I was.

It probably looked dangerous, and I wouldn't blame people for thinking that.

The truth was though, that as long as I remained calm there was really no risk of us dropping anything. Even if I lost my cool, Alakazam was there. Even if I tripped on a rock, growing up using telekinetic balancing skills meant that I essentially kept balance subconsciously nowadays. I couldn't remember the last time I had actually tripped to the ground.

Anyway!

Walking took a little longer than usual due to the fragile load, but it still only took us a few hours. What's more, it was really fun! We even turned down a few offers to help us with the boxes, simply because this was the first thing we had really done for _ourselves_ since... everything.

We just talked about whatever, joked about dropping boxes or forgetting important things, excitedly chatted about what would be much easier to do together now that we lived together.

Before we knew it, we were already at my Gym.

"Phew!" Erika set down her pile of boxes near the doorway and theatrically wiped her brow with the sleeve of her kimono. "Now where did I put my key? Sabrina babe, where's my key?" she giggled, as she watched me and my Pokémon walk up the path to the door and slowly set boxes down.

"You wanted to move in quicker than I expected, so I haven't had time to get you a key made yet..." I chuckled, putting my hands to my hips as I regained some breath. "Thank you guys." I said aside to my Pokémon as they finished setting boxes down.

I was so distracted by Erika's cute banter, the boxes, the whole moving thing, that a familiar voice caught me completely by surprise as I walked to open the door.

"Hoh! You two certainly seem to like carrying boxes, hm?"

I turned to to see that there was something of a quiet commotion at the Fighting Dojo next door.

"M-Master Kiyo...!" Erika quickly strode over to him "Arceus I'm relieved to see you...! You were discharged from hospital already?"

I followed Erika next door and exchanged awkward smiles with Kiyo. Looking him up and down, his arm was in a sling, but... his good shoulder had a pack over it.

"You sure it's wise to put strain on yourself right away like that?" I smiled sheepishly at him.

"They tried to get me to not exert myself, but I insisted that resuming my training as soon as possible was the most true path to recovery." he put his good hand on his hip proudly. He certainly seemed as stubbornly full of energy as ever.

Still, something about the air felt... different. There was an unease.

"I think I already know your answer, but I must offer anyway; do you two need any help with those boxes? What are they this time?"

"We've got it, it's just some of my things." Erika beamed, a light blush scattered over her cheeks. "I'm moving in! Hello, new neighbour!"

"Ahah! Congratulations on the change, Lady Erika! No need to call me neighbour, though. For I am also making a change."

I crossed my arms and tapped my elbow with my finger. "Is that what the pack is for, Kiyo?"

He shrugged his shoulders, jostling the pack and then wincing at the careless strain he had caused his injury. "It is. Coincidentally, I am moving _out_ the same day that you are moving in!"

"Where are you going?" Erika tilted her head with concern. "There's a lot of noise coming from in the Dojo... will they be okay?"

Kiyo turned towards the Dojo and stared for a few moments, a wistful smile on his face.

"To be honest... we're uninspired. We've been gradually falling into collapse over the last few years, and with me out of action everything got worse in mere days. They're good followers but... there is more to karate than simply following a has-been Gym Leader. More to Pokémon. And we all need to learn what that is."

He stepped away from the Dojo, off the path... and onto the road. He looked over to the south, in the direction of Vermillion City.

"I'm going out there to find that answer for myself. Myself and these three Tyrogue... will work to discover the true meaning of balance in karate. What it means to be a truly skilled Pokémon Trainer."

He turned back towards the Dojo, and pointed towards it. "And I vow not to return until I _do_! Not until I finally achieve the balance needed to evolve a Tyrogue into a Hitmontop!"

Kiyo had always behaved full of fire, but it was usually just hot air. Today though, for the first time since I've known him... he seemed truly driven.

I don't think anyone could have changed his mind.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" I asked earnestly.

He beamed in response. "No, no... just don't let the city knock that old place down!" His gaze remained fixed on the Dojo, a fond wistfulness in his eyes. "Even if almost everyone leaves, it's a wonderful old building. I'm sure someone will find a good use for it. One that celebrates both Trainers and their Pokémon!"

Kiyo then turned to both of us again, with a warm and genuine smile the likes of which he had never focused on me before. "I have a lot to thank you for too, Sabrina... Probably more than you think I do. If we meet again someday, you will know the full scope of my gratitude."

I playfully poked at my head, smiling back at him. "Even if I _wasn't_ a psychic, your smile says it all. I earnestly wish you the best of luck, Kiyo."

He nodded vigorously, then waved at the both of us with his working arm. "Farewell, Erika. And farewell, Sabrina! May your new lives together be as happy and fulfilling as you deserve!"

And just like that, he set off.

Not once did he turn back to look at the Dojo.

Erika's concern was showing on her face as I headed towards my front door and unlocked it. "He's going to be okay. I'm confident." I turned and beamed at her. "Now let's get all these boxes out of the street."

It's not every day that you move house, and Erika had been living in Celadon City since she was born. Despite all that though, she really did seem absurdly organised.

"I've actually been putting stuff in boxes bit by bit over the last month or so. Just to... mentally prepare myself for the idea of moving out. Since I thought I really _should_, right?" she explained to me, as she unpacked a box of clothes she wore regularly into my room.

Sorry, our room.

Our room. _Our_ room...!

"That's why I already had so many boxes ready to go today, even though I only made my mind up a couple days ago." she giggled awkwardly to herself.

"Are you sure you're ready to spent most of your time away from Celadon? Even with the pollution issue still as bad as it is?" I asked.

I mean, it was a little late to ask that now, but the reality of her moving in was starting to hit and I was admittedly a little anxious that she might suddenly change her mind and run home again.

"Nope, I'm _not_ totally sure. So I'm going to _make_ myself sure." Erika nodded. "I'm sure I want to live with you, I know that much." She turned back to me and reached for my hand, giving it a squeeze.

She was forcing a smile... I could tell she was anxious.

"The thing with pollution is... it's the actions of the many, having a longer-term impact. Every _single_ day I'd head to the city centre and watch helplessly as Grimer emerged from ponds or sewers. Sometimes I'd defeat them, but more and more always appeared.

Unless the habits of the people and businesses in the city changes for good... they're never going to stop.

By always watching what was going on, I felt that maybe I'd have some modicum of control. But I was driving myself to the point of breakdown over something that I can't change by myself... and especially not overnight.

I... I don't want to live like that anymore. For my own mental health, and for the good of our relationship, I have to detach from that obsession. I have to stop seeing it as my absolute responsibility."

Erika finished neatly sorting a pile of clothes, setting them in my spare cupboard for the time being, and turned to me. She gripped my hands in hers.

"After everything that happened over the last few years... I want to _move on_. The chapter of my life where I always put everyone else's needs before my own, and lost _myself_ in the chaos... is _over_."

"Erika..." I rubbed my thumbs along her palms, and gently smiled at her. She tilted her head, her eyes relaxing and beaming a beautiful adoring gaze right into mine.

"The next chapter of my life... A life with you, where I'm in control of my passions rather than letting them control me... starts _today_!"

I took a hand from hers and stroked some loose hair from her face. She held my hand to her cheek, and turned to nuzzle it. Giggling, I leaned in and gave her cheek an affectionate peck.

"In that case, let's hope the moving vans are running tomorrow." I smiled exuberantly.

* * *

**x**

* * *

**_(Notes: I can't believe we're already at Chapter 7! After most of the story so far has been focused on how Sabrina faces adversity, we're now entering a more slice-of-life part of the story again, where Sabrina and Erika's relationship continues to evolve._**

**_Writing stuff like this makes me feel nostalgic for when I wrote "Erika". It makes me feel like I never stopped writing it, I'm happy I decided to continue writing their story._**

**_Erika and Sabrina are finally living together! It feels like a long time for me and maybe some readers, but for those two it's only been a few months since Sabrina asked Erika to move in with her. Erika's seemed a lot happier since she stopped worrying so much, which has been nicer to write as well._**

**_This chapter essentially wraps up the Team Rocket subplot for my story - that's all folks! All the Rocket foreshadowing here is simply foreshadowing for HGSS, rather than anything I plan to cover in later chapters._**

**_I moved the mention of Silver from the previous chapter to this one so it flows better. Those of you hoping for him to appear in this story though - no promises. This was more foreshadowing the events of gen2 themselves, and a reference to the fact Looker had been seemingly looking for him in Pokémon Generations ep5._**

**_As for foreshadowing that /is/ going to be covered in this story? Will is once again brought up here... and for anyone hoping to see more of Jasmine, you won't need to wait long. See you all in a couple of weeks!)_**


	8. (Waves)

**x**

* * *

"So how are things going? Was it a little weird to start with?"

"Uh... come to think of it, not really. She already spent so much time at my place over the last few months, so it started to feel normal pretty quickly.

To say I'm happy would be an understatement though... The only notable inconvenience has been Erika's short little commute to Celadon City for work, and even that barely bothers us. Sure she can turn into a nap-aholic in the afternoons, but she's still always been a morning person."

Without realising it, I found myself waffling on and on about Erika, holding my hand to my cheek, fiddling absentmindedly with my hair, no idea how much I was smiling.

Jasmine giggled, beaming sweetly over the video phone at me. "That's so like you two! You hit it off so quickly after you reconnected that I could have sworn you had been friends for years already."

"I guess we _had_, in a way?" I crossed my arms with a light chuckle, and Jasmine giggled too. Another nice thing about coming to terms with the past? Erika and I could finally laugh about how absurd we were about each other back then.

"But... now that we're finally living together, it does make planning surprises that much more difficult. I just really don't like sneaking around her and stuff. I don't even like having private conversations with Alakazam anymore while she's in the house. It feels wrong, you know?"

"Y-yeah... I bet." Jasmine's expression slumped into a sheepish smile and she sighed, awkwardly rubbing the side of her head. "S-so I wish I could help more with the uhm, anniversary ideas and stuff..."

I smiled gently and waved my hand. "No no, don't worry. It's also just nice to have an excuse to catch up."

After everything that had happened lately, and then Erika moving in with me, our first anniversary had snuck up really really quickly.

I know, it feels longer! But it had only been about a year since we started dating! And since Erika had always been the one to assertively plan out most of our big dates and trips over the last year, I... really wanted to do this for us. I _insisted_.

Alakazam, not exactly an expert on the arbitrary traditions of human romance, wasn't going to do as my sole confidant regarding the issue. So... I called Jasmine. She didn't seem experienced in romance either, but it was still nice to get her perspective.

Plus... talking to people, as always, seemed to have this way of working out.

"H-hey, why don't you try coming to visit me?" Jasmine asked after a few moments silence, smiling sincerely. "Even if _**I**_ can't help, maybe a change of scenery _will_?"

I paused with my mouth hung open for a moment, slightly taken aback by the unusual suggestion. I reflexively tried to find an excuse to say no. But... I didn't have any real _reason_ to say no, either.

"I think I'll take you up on that." I finally nodded happily. "Plus it gives me an excuse to close the Gym... the mundane has been feeling extra mundane lately." I admitted out loud, which Jasmine seemed to find funny at least.

Jasmine clapped her hands together, clearly excited. "Then, I'll see you then! But uhm, I should really go check on Amphy about now actually. Feel free to come by, uh... whenever?" she awkwardly smiled, before waving.

"I look forward to it." I smiled gently, before hanging up. Then, realising I should get back to work for the rest of the day, I sighed and mumbled.

Jasmine had no immediate ideas, and I couldn't talk to Alakazam about it... so I spent the rest of the day racking my brains for ideas. Our anniversary was coming up quickly, and I didn't want to _rely_ on Jasmine for inspiration.

That's why, as I was closing up for the day, I did something I don't normally do.

My Gym's workforce had actually lightened slightly over the last couple of years, as I decided that having more Trainers would simply slow a worthy challenger's approach rather than stop them.

I still had around five Gym Trainers working at my Gym, but to be honest, I barely _knew_ any of them beyond their names and how much I was paying them.

I was very much like a hands-off manager, rather than a colleague, to them. Because of the kind of person I used to be, I was just completely used to keeping my distance.

One of the newer Trainers typically liked to hang back longer than the others for whatever reason. As always, him and his Mr. Mime used their telekinesis to quietly help me clean up, after which he would likely read or meditate for a bit before going home.

"Hey, uh," I addressed him out of nowhere as he helped me clean. "Jared, right?"

He shot me a look and blinked, his eyes widening and sweat beading on his face as he waved frantically at me. "Y-yeah? Th-that's me!"

"You haven't done anything wrong." I reassured him, awkwardly scratching my face as I considered how to word my question. "Uh, I was just wondering if you... knew anything that might work for an anniversary date...?"

He continued to stare at me in shock for a moment, before a small smile edged onto his blushing face. "Y-you came to _me_ for advice, because you heard about how good I am to my girlfriend!?" he beamed enthusiastically.

Nope. Entirely a lucky guess. I honestly had no idea he _had_ a girlfriend. I'm a pretty shoddy boss huh?

Avoiding the urge to wince in embarrassment, I continued. "I uh, I'd just like to know what kind of event or activity would typically be considered special enough for an anniversary...?"

Jared, finally seeming to relax from his shock, clasped his hands together and stared dreamily at the ceiling. "Oh, uhm, well I usually take her to see Pokémon shows and stuff! Both of us _really_ love to see Trainers putting on incredible performances together with their Pokémon! It's like... it's super inspiring. We've been to shows all over the place, Kanto, Johto, Super Contests in the north of the country... we totally bond and gush together over things like that-"

Finally remembering himself, he rubbed the back of his head. "Ahaha, sorry for going off there! Uh, I hope that helped in some way?"

I tilted my head and smiled gently at him. "It gave me some things to think about. Thanks."

"G-glad I could help!" he grinned sweetly, then hastily returned Mr. Mime to his Pokéball as he finished cleaning. "I'd better be off now. Have a nice day off, boss!"

"Ah...!" I called after him as he scurried to pick up a magazine he was reading. "It's okay if you call me Sabrina."

He didn't respond, just kept awkwardly sweetly smiling and waving at me, seemingly a little flustered.

On the cover of the magazine, I briefly caught a glimpse of a familiar purple-haired man with a mask.

'_...What's **he** doing on a magazine cover...?_'

* * *

Olivine City... I hadn't been there in quite a long time, and judging from Jasmine's invitation she didn't get many visitors. It seemed like nothing but a good idea for someone who was looking for date ideas with a change of scenery.

Partially due to excitement, and partially because Erika's morning-energy was starting to rub off on me, I arrived at Johto's west coast a lot earlier than I had intended the following day.

As I romped down the rolling hills of Route 39 in the quiet of morning, scarcely any Trainers around, I was greeted with the comforting sound of waves on the wind. The ocean and lighthouse dominated the serene horizon from the top of the Route.

And Arceus... did it make for a beautiful morning view. As the sky calmed from orange to blue, speckles of sunlight appeared to scatter across the calm ocean, an almost green-yellow tint between the golden shimmering reflection of the sun. I couldn't help but stand at the top of the hill and watch for a few moments.

I wandered down into the city to be greeted with a warm breeze as the sun began to sit higher in the sky. Olivine Market was already bustling, and the cart from the Miltank farm up the hill was already done with its deliveries. Seemed like the merchants here got up even earlier than Erika did.

Jasmine's Gym was right near the city entrance. Suspecting I'd have some time before Jasmine was ready for me though, I let Espeon out of his ball and leisurely walked down to the pier with him.

While Route 41 to the south was known for its whirlpools, the surf near the bay was calm. I stood at the pier and looked over the ocean, gazing over some islands in the distance and taking in the breeze. To my left, I could see the staircase up to the lighthouse... but somehow the lighthouse looked a little worse for wear.

My hair flew gently behind me in the wind, and tufts of Espeon's fur shimmered in the same direction. I took a deep breath in.

'_The wind feels great, huh?_' I thought to Espeon.

***kushu*** Espeon sneezed in response as some fur got up his nose. I giggled and knelt down to stroke the fur from his face.

"Welcome! Here for breakfast?" An unfamiliar voice dragged me out of my little moment.

I glanced over in the direction the voice came from, to see a man politely nodding his head towards me from a comfortable little open-air pier-side restaurant. Thinking on it, I could smell fresh fish, as well as baked goods and the strong smell of coffee beans coming from that direction. There were chairs and tables around where I was standing too, so I put together that this place was probably pretty popular.

"Uhm... maybe next time." Espeon and I began to walk back away from the pier, hesitant to be sniped up by prospective proprietors when I just wanted to relax. Not that I was bad at saying no to pushy salespeople, but-...

"Hang on," I paused, getting another look at the view before turning back to him. "Could I ask what sort of meals you serve in the evenings?"

...

After getting a better look at the beach, and getting a little peek at the weird structures being built north of Route 40, I felt like I'd probably spent enough time around the city. I didn't want to keep Jasmine waiting too long.

I recalled Espeon to his ball and made my way back up the hill through the markets. The vibe of the city had kept me energised, so I was now even _more_ excited to spend the day with Jasmine. I eagerly rang the doorbell of her Gym.

... I waited for a few moments, but there was no sound. I rang the bell again, then gave the door a knock.

'_Is she still asleep?_' I thought. I checked the clock on my PokéGear; it was past 9, so I figured she should be awake at this point.

On a normal day she'd be open for challengers at this time, so I opted to let myself in.

... Goodness it was dark in here though. _Dingy_, was the word I'd use. The lights were mostly off, and it seemed to have a pretty dusty, cavernous vibe to it. It felt more like Brock's Gym than how I imagined a Steel Type Gym would feel.

I walked further into the Gym towards a dimly lit area further in. '_Ah, there she is!_' my eyes widened as I spotted Jasmine, pacing back and forth towards the back of the Gym.

"Good morning, Jasmine!" I greeted cheerfully, with a friendly wave.

Jasmine shot a look to me from the back of the room. Her face was a little difficult to make out in this dull light, but it seemed a little... red. She was clenching her teeth.

She span around on the spot and made a conspicuous sniffing noise, then appeared to wipe her face and eyes with her wrists before turning back to me with a smile.

"H-hey, Sabrina!" she beamed at me sweetly, her voice sounding a little choked. "You ready for me to show you around Olivine and Ecruteak?"

My mouth hung open for a fraction of a second as she strolled quickly past me towards the door, and grabbed her things. "I, uh... yeah. I'm really looking forward to it." I smiled, trying to hide the fact I had seen anything.

The damp red of her face when she walked past me had made it obvious though.

Jasmine had been crying.

* * *

**x**

* * *

**_(Notes: Shorter chapter this week. Don't think this means I've finally escaped long chapter-hell though, both ch9 and ch10 are turning out pretty long!_**

**_While it's short, this chapter continues to set things up for the rest of the story._**

**_Jasmine played a big part in "Erika", being the one character that you could probably call Erika's friend in game canon. Even though she hasn't had much of a role in this story so far, I wanted to give her a more meaningful role. I feel like she deserves it!_**

**_Speaking of Jasmine and Erika's friendship, who remembers where Sabrina hangs out in HGSS?_**

**_On a more serious note: I've been struggling with writers block again for the past month. I'm hoping it won't come to this, but there's a chance that I may have to delay ch9 or 10 for a little while._**

**_Ch9 will be up soon like normal, but if it's not you can always check my twitter Pikablukachu for updates.)_**


	9. (Anniversary)

**x**

* * *

"You can take your hands off my eyes now," Erika giggled, as I playfully guided her with my hands covering her face. "Unless you want my big surprise to be tripping over."

I giggled with her and pecked the back of her head. I had only been holding my hands over her eyes for a couple of minutes, as we walked through Ecruteak City's residential area. "You're not going to trip, and you _were_ the one who suggested a blindfold for the surprise element."

"I didn't mean it seriously! It would be way too embarrassing if _I_ tripped despite _you_ being the one in heels!" Erika kept laughing, snorting a little.

Yup, I was wearing heels tonight, but I never found them difficult to walk in thanks to the whole telekinetic balance thing.

As we began to hear the sound of chattering growing louder and louder, she anxiously grabbed my hands in hers. So... because she insisted, I took my hands from her eyes and gestured to our front.

"Ta-daaa~." I hummed with another giggle and just a _hint_ of theatrical flair. We were stood outside the front doors of Ecruteak Dance Hall, and there was a long line of customers going around the side of the building.

I had the whole evening planned out - I even suggested dress-wear! Appropriately for watching a performance at the Dance Hall, I had suggested that Erika dress in one of her most extravagant kimono. A deep night-blue, dark but soothing to look at, highlighted by striking yet inoffensive red patterns and sash. Her adorable jet-black hair was adorned with a soft pink flower accessory.

I, on the other hand, wanted to do something a little different. Rather than a kimono or suit, I wore a long, red gown with an open back. It was quite an expensive one, and it shimmered iridescently in the late-afternoon sun.

Long red dress, thin ice-blue earrings, high-heels, and my deep-teal hair up in a bun with hairsticks... I _definitely_ stood out.

But the thing is; for once, I actually _wanted_ to stand out. I wanted to glow for her the way I felt she always glowed for me.

Erika clasped her hands together, a bright smile spreading across her face. "Oh _this_ is different! I was almost worried it would be another ill-fated trip to the National Park." she joked.

"Another time." I grinned, very pleased with myself indeed, as I gestured Erika past the crowded queue and towards the usher at the door. "A new year for our relationship means trying new things, right?"

Erika anxiously eyed the very long queue and tugged at my sleeve to gesture at them. "Queue-skipping isn't very romantic, honey."

My eyes lidded at her joke as I smirked. "Coming to see a performance is _different_, but the real _surprise_ is that I pulled some strings." I shut my eyes and stuck my chest out proudly, before clearing my throat and approaching the usher. "Would you check your VIP list for 'Sabrina', please?"

The employee gave me a friendly smile. Of course they knew of me, most of the people who worked here had either met me in the past or heard of me from their colleagues. Entertaining us with sheer formality, he placed his finger at a spot on his clipboard and winked. "Right this way, please."

Voila! Queue skipped.

I nudged Erika's side with my elbow and shot her a prideful grin. She responded with a flustered smirk of her own and held her arm out, inviting me to lock arms with her. "'VIPs' have to look proper with their date, right~?"

This was good... this was good! She was already having a great time, I could tell. I locked arms with her, and we giggled together as we followed the usher into the building.

The foyer area was alight with chattering too, as customers confirmed their tickets and were led into the normal viewing areas. Suffice to say; it was packed.

The late-summer was one of Ecruteak City's biggest periods for tourism. People from the world over came to relax as the trees spectacularly transformed from a sea of green into an autumnal harmony of beautiful golden-brown, one that brilliantly shimmered in the autumn sun.

As Ecruteak City was famous for its beautiful autumns, this was also the time of year the Kimono Girls put on their biggest and most popular shows.

It had been a long time since I'd seen any performances here myself; I'd distanced myself from this sort of thing after all. Still, as always, the walls were lined with posters and leaflets advertising current attractions - and as always, the Kimono Girls' regular performances were advertised with the most pomp and celebration out of all of them.

The current group had only been heading the Dance Hall since I was a kid, but the way they beautifully performed with Eevee evolutions had already made them an even bigger region-wide hit than most of their predecessors.

As my eyes scanned over their posters though, my eyes couldn't help but fall on a slightly smaller but far flashier poster.

A masked man in a grape-coloured suit, holding his arms to the air with performative spectacle, enveloped by gaudy lights and confetti...

'_Will._' I found myself subconsciously scowling at the poster. He had been putting on shows here, too!? It was starting to feel like I was seeing him everywhere.

I felt a tug at my arm, and glanced to see Erika tilting her head at me. "You okay, hottie?"

Typically, Erika had succeeded in dragging me back to awareness with a sudden compliment. "Y-yeah... just distracted by a random thought." I muttered through a blush.

We were promptly escorted through to the front row of the VIP seating area. I could sense Erika's heart racing, her face reddening slightly as she digested the fact that we were now sat in the most sought-after seats in the Hall, at the most popular time of year for performances.

"H-how on Earth did you afford seats like this?" she whispered aside to me, almost seeming a little anxious.

I squeezed her arm reassuringly and leaned my weight into her gently as I whispered back. "Like I said, I pulled some strings~."

For the first time in a while, I didn't resent the fact that I used to perform here as a kid. Erika seemed _so_ happy and excited!

And I felt kinda... cool.

"Miss Sabrina! Hi!" came a familiar voice from next to us, accompanied by the sound of a yipping Eevee.

I looked to my other side and Erika looked around me, to see the little girl we had met in the New Year had been seated next to us. As always, she was with her Eevee.

"O-oh!" My brain whirred as I remembered her name. She had made quite an impression on me because of the time Espeon evolved, so I remembered quickly. "Little Valerie, was it?"

"You remember me!" Valerie beamed up at us with her almost mystically dark eyes, holding her faithful Eevee in her arms. "Uhm, can you let Espeon out? I wanna see him..."

I chuckled and nodded as I picked Espeon's ball from my waist. "I was actually just about to, I wanted him to see the other evolutions perform." With a shine of bright light, Espeon emerged from his ball and settled down next to me. He and Valerie's Eevee yipped happily at each other in familiarity.

Erika raised an eyebrow and smiled sheepishly at Valerie from my other side. "Valerie, sweetie. Do you get VIP seats here often?"

It seemed like Erika expressing concern with Valerie's scarily carefree nature was becoming a trend.

"Yup! The Kimono Girls look after me a lot after all... and I just love seeing shows here." The young girl beamed again. "Have you been before, Miss Erika?"

Erika's expression softened again and she reshuffled herself into her seat. Finally, it seemed like she was starting to properly relax. "Nope! The time we met you at New Year was actually my first ever time visiting Ecruteak."

"She's a busy woman." I squeezed Erika's hand and beamed at Valerie, before turning back to Erika. "But tonight is a special occasion for us."

With a blush, Erika smiled sweetly as she tilted her head and stared into my eyes. She leant her shoulder into mine and I leant back. Our grip on each other's hands tightening again.

Seemingly mature enough to read the mood, Valerie grinned to herself and got settled into her own seat. She leant down to pet Espeon and whispered to him "Enjoy the show, Espeon... you're all gonna love it a lot."

The chattering of guests started to settle around the rest of the room, and the lights dimmed.

...

It had been many years since I'd seen the Kimono Girls perform, but their harmonious displays with their Pokémon had somehow grown even more awe-inspiring over the years.

Each of the five seemed completely in-tune with her Pokémon, interpretive dance of each Pokémon's abilities making it feel almost as if the dancers themselves had their own elemental abilities.

The show's climax involved all five dancers, starting off with a loud, but safe, strike of lightning to the stage from Sayo's Jolteon. The room's acoustics and the accompanying music from backstage musicians added real impact to the crash, while fire from Miki's Flareon began to bubble up from all around.

The fire of Miki's Flareon and the water of Kuni's Vaporeon appeared to dance in the air together, animatedly clashing and rebounding off one another as their Trainers faced off in a gentle but dramatic storytelling dance.

It was fairly obvious that the telekinesis of Naoko's Espeon was behind the impressively animated fire and water, but knowing that didn't dull the spectacle of how marvellously put together the whole thing was, and how in sync the Pokémon's movements and powers were with the dances of the Kimono Girls.

As Espeon let off a soothing aura, attempting to quell the clashing forces around it, the flames began to cough into a dusty darkness, bright orange glows and puffs becoming haunting bellows of blackness. Darkness ebbed out from everywhere as Zuki and her Umbreon took centre stage, slightly obscuring all performers and making it appear as if certain parts of their dance were suspended separately from their bodies.

The performers and their Pokémon fell to the ground, save for Zuki who continued to dance in the darkness.

An ominous and hopeless tone befell the story.

A few moments later though, a bright, white light that appeared to refract with every colour of the rainbow began to descend from the sky, pushing the oppressive darkness away into the ground. The Pokémon and their Trainers rose from where they had fallen, warmed by a glowing orb - an impressive phenomena conjured up thanks to a combination of Flareon and Jolteon's elemental abilities and Espeon's telekinesis.

The performance rounded off with Naoko's Espeon emitting its soothing glow once more, finally bringing peace and harmony to all ten performers as the five Kimono Girls danced together in sync, illuminated mystically by the colours of their Pokémon's Types.

Pokémon stood in front of their respective Trainers, each of them bowing as the crowd applauded loudly but politely.

Erika and Valerie's excitement was particularly infectious. They both clapped extra quickly, Erika's eyes wide with awe, her jaw only just recovering from being hung open.

Naoko's Espeon briefly locked eyes with my Espeon, and the two exchanged delighted glances as Zuki made her way to the front of the stage.

My own applause had cooled, and my heart started to beat a little loudly.

This was it, I guess...

"After a few years of work, our most popular performance, 'The Legend of the Burnt Tower', has finally been given new life itself. We sincerely hope you all enjoyed your time here tonight." she beamed and bowed, followed by another bow from the other performers.

My heart started to thump more and more quickly.

Naoko then took Zuki's side at the front of the stage. She shot me a glance, with a curious grin.

My heart was now racing very uncomfortably. My gaze darted to the ground, avoiding eye-contact. I then edged my eyes towards Espeon, who was staring deeply into me.

Espeon gently blinked... and my heartbeat calmed again.

I turned back to look at Naoko, and nodded.

Immediately, a huge, excited grin spread across her face. She then held out her hand and took the microphone from Zuki.

"But tonight..." Naoko began, excitement filling her voice as the others stepped towards the back of the stage. "For _your_ eyes only... an _extra_ special performance, at no extra cost, _never seen before_!"

Naoko locked eyes with me once more, and held her hand out to me.

"Gym Leader Sabrina... would you join me on stage?"

"_**WH-!?**_" A shocked squeal slipped out of Erika's throat as she turned to me and stuttered a little, scrambling to figure out what was going on.

"A-are you gonna!? _Really_!?" Valerie excitedly squeaked, holding her fists in front of her as she and Eevee beamed at me and Espeon. I shot her a gentle smile, and began to get up.

I was extremely anxious, but I turned to Erika with a wink before gliding up onto stage, followed by Espeon. Pretending to be cool for my girlfriend... who'd taught me so much about what it means to wear a strong and confident face... it helped a little.

Erika's eyes widened, tracing my movements onto the stage. She looked almost floored in shock, holding her fist to her chest, her mouth hung agape.

My long red dress shimmered in the stage lights behind me, as Naoko and I turned to one another and bowed. I took a deep breath in... out of the corner of my eye I looked at both the calm glow of my bracelet, and Espeon's confident gaze.

I was going to perform. I was going to be good at it. I told myself that. I _knew_ that.

And my heartbeat settled.

And the lights dimmed.

Naoko and I thrust our arms out towards one another, and our Espeon leapt lightly onto our forearms, all four of us bathed in the gentle purple glow of telekinesis. The Espeon both appeared light as a feather, stepping daintily along our arms without us showing a single sign of strain.

They stepped, they twirled, they made themselves comfortable, their movements slowly falling into sync until they appeared to be mirroring each other.

Capturing each other's gazes in the same instant, the Espeon curiously walked down our arms, down to our hands, to our fingertips, then off into the air.

Matching their steps like-for-like, the occasional skip, hesitation, pitter-patter of feet in the sky, the Espeon approached each other with perfectly mirrored movement as Naoko and I glided away stage left and right respectively.

The Espeon approached each other, stepping through the air as if it were solid ground. My Espeon leapt over Naoko's while Naoko's Espeon pranced below, their y-axis now perfectly mirrored just as their x-axis was.

For a few moments, the Pokémon pranced and leapt around each other in the air with enchantingly mirrored movement, blanketed with an increasingly intense light, until they finally lunged at each other.

The Espeon didn't collide - or at least didn't appear to. The moment of their collision was completely obfuscated by a white glow...

... And as the glow faded, and where the Espeon had been just moments earlier, I stood in the centre of the stage, my arms lifted into the air, a theatrical smirk on my face.

"Ladies and gentlemen... welcome to tonight's one-time-only encore."

...

The crowd erupted into applause. More due to the surprise of my performance than its quality, I'm sure.

Naoko approached my side and bowed with me, and the other Kimono Girls then joined us.

"Let's give another round of applause for all of tonight's incredible performers! And the one and only Master of Psychic Pokémon, _Sabrina_!" Zuki excitedly announced to the guests, leading to another round of resounding cheers.

I was used to attention sure, but it had been so long since I had performed like this in front of a crowd.

So... at that point, it was a little difficult to avoid blushing.

Especially when I noticed that Erika had leapt to her feet and was clapping furiously, biting her lip.

_Especially_ when I noticed that she appeared to have been crying.

* * *

Erika had been clinging blissfully to my arm ever since we left the theatre, and seemed very hesitant to let go.

"A-Arceus you're cool. You _must_ know how cool you are, right? There's no way you don't. I-I'm completely smitten?!" she mumbled with an awkward giggle, leaning her head into my shoulder as we walked down the hill of Route 39. Her voice was cracking a little.

I huffed a smile and huddled her close to me, gazing over at the sun setting over the ocean. She still seemed a little speechless, just saying things like 'I can't believe you' and 'Did you do that just for me?' and stuff.

I hadn't really given her any proper answers though. Just... "the evening isn't over yet".

While true, it was also a convenient excuse for me to avoid discussing things I hadn't quite processed yet. I was still a little shell-shocked by the experience myself, because I had told myself for years that I 'hated' my history of performance.

But I _did that_... and evidently, utterly delighted my favourite person in the world by doing so.

And... I _didn't_ hate doing it.

There were even moments where I felt... exhilaration.

Turning towards Erika, I smiled into her cheek as I kissed her affectionately.

"We're almost there, okay?"

The market was winding down for the night, the sound of the waves rolling sleepily against the docks underneath the twilit sky, as I led Erika to the open-air restaurant I had come across the other day.

"Good evening, I have a table booked under 'Sabrina'." I smiled politely at the waiter. Erika clutched to my arm, throwing her head back and staring in awe at the clear and vibrant sky and sea.

"You're just full of surprises today... When ever did you come across a place like this?"

"Happy accident." I led Erika to our table by hand. Our table was right near the pier, giving us an enveloping view of the ocean. It was a calm evening - the waves were gentle, and ferry services had slowed for the day. There was a tranquil darkness, as the moon started to show and tease its white reflection across the ocean's surface.

I took a deep breath in... and a breath out.

I had made it... to the end of the night. And nothing had gone horribly wrong yet...!

Finally finding my heartbeat calming again, I turned to my girlfriend. She seemed enthralled by the atmosphere herself, almost not realising that the waiter had already filled our glasses with water.

I giggled at her sweet, almost aloof expression and leant over the table to squeeze her hand. "I, uh... I went ahead and ordered the first set meal for both of us when I booked. It came highly recommended, so I hope you don't mind..."

An amused smile spread across her face, her eyes widening a little. "Of course I don't! I ordered that sushi spread for our first date, do you remember?" a light blush spread across her cheeks as she squeezed my hand back.

Seeing her smiling so happily while recalling our first date filled my heart with warmth. I nodded, suddenly feeling a little emotional as I ran a thumb along her knuckles.

All those months... no, _years_, of uncertainty regarding how she felt towards me, seemed like the distant past now.

Erika's smile had been so bright ever since I first met her... but the smiles she showed to me only ever got brighter and brighter. There was no one else in the world we shared such candid expressions of comfort and joy with.

"At _least_ let me order drinks." she joked, though I could tell she really was eager not to let me handle literally everything tonight.

I had insisted on taking care of it all myself for a change, but I knew that she found it a little more difficult to take a passive role in these things than I did.

I nodded and leaned on my fist as I gazed at her. "Sure, but surprise me, order me something I don't normally drink."

Erika covered her mouth with her hand as her grin became a laugh. Luckily for me, our table had relative privacy, away from most of the restaurant. This, coupled with the fact the waiter wasn't currently around, meant that to my delight she didn't hold back with her adorable laugh.

We weren't even a _little_ bit drunk yet, and this was the least reserved I had seen her in... maybe ever?

Before long, the waiter returned and promptly took Erika's drink orders, which she thoroughly enjoyed doing.

In her words: I should try some red wine because it would 'complete the movie star vibe I was rocking tonight'. She, on the other hand, wanted plum wine, because everything about the night made her feel like spoiling herself with sweet things.

If she had wanted me to feel proud of myself for getting this anniversary thing right, it was working.

"So what's with all the newness today, hon'?" Erika matched my gaze with her own playful one across the table as our drinks were brought out.

My turn to grin, as I sat up straight in my seat and cleared my throat. "I was actually hoping you'd ask." I declared and proudly held my hand to my chest, making Erika laugh even louder.

My expression softening a little in sincerity, I continued; "I just thought it would be nice for our first anniversary to be more about all the unexplored possibilities lying ahead for us, rather than things we've already done."

Nostalgia is nice sometimes... but there was plenty of time for that in the future. I was _so_ excited about Erika moving in with me and us forming healthier habits, that I couldn't help but want to try even more new things together.

Erika tilted her head and beamed her light on me sweetly, biting her lip a little as she smiled. "Well... this? It's kinda perfect. It feels almost like we're on holiday together."

Olivine City did give me that sort of vibe... being so close to the ocean felt like such an escape, and unlike Vermillion City it felt more tranquil than metropolitan and perpetually-under-construction. It was really nice to have somewhere like this just a few hours away from home.

"We should go on holiday together... for real, sometime." I subconsciously muttered, my eyes on the stars, as the waiter brought our drinks out.

Erika eagerly took her glass and grinned, "You took the words right out of my mouth. You've been doing that a lot lately."

"I've just gotten to know you really well." I said with a calm, relaxed smile as I took my glass and brought it to my nose. Red wine... always smelled too strong. I couldn't help but wince slightly.

Something about it was kinda nice, though. It pierced through my senses, offering a grounding clarity.

"Then here's to getting to know each other better and better every day." Erika hummed, holding her glass out in cheers. "Happy Anniversary, Sabrina."

"Happy Anniversary." I clinked my glass to hers', an elated smile spreading across my face, my body feeling engulfed by warmth before even touching the alcohol. "Here's to us... I love you, Erika."

Rewarding me with a typically Erika-like reaction, she bit her lip as a blushed smile plastered her cheeks. "I love you too, Sabrina... but geez, sometimes I do wish you'd go easy on my poor delicate heart."

Buzzing with adoration for one another while soaking in the relaxation of the atmosphere, we drank.

...

It was a good thing that I was from a fairly wealthy family... this food set was a little fancier than I was used to.

The Johto region is also known for a particularly high quality wagyu beef, called 'Goldenrod beef'. Goldenrod beef is a delicacy all across Japan, adored for its rich flavour and unique marbled texture. Other nations even import it sometimes.

And... because of it's quality and reputation, it's not exactly a cheap meal.

The pain my wallet would feel at the set was somewhat offset by Erika's entertaining mixture of winced agony and elated surprise when it was brought out, though.

Plus, the beef itself was... it really _did_ feel like it melted in my mouth. I could hardly believe it was beef because it was so soft and tender, and the flavour was something else entirely.

"Ahhh... good Arceus... well, it is a special occasion, mm?" Erika exclaimed as she held a delighted hand to her cheek after trying some.

She generally didn't eat much meat, but did like to spoil herself sometimes. So I figured... well, like she said: it was a special occasion! And I could tell she was loving it from the way she piled piece after piece onto her plate.

I'd have to make sure to savour it while it lasted.

"Sooo?" Erika caught my gleeful expression as I stuffed beef into my mouth, and grinned at me in between sips of plum wine. "Are we ready to talk about what exactly _that_ was, earlier?"

"Yeah." I giggled. Then, upon realising how quickly I had replied, my giggle became a laugh and Erika laughed with me. The comforting atmosphere, alcohol and great food was working wonders. Without realising it, every drop of anxiety I had felt earlier was more or less gone.

"Let's see..." I hummed, shutting my eyes and feeling the ocean breeze on my hair. I refilled my glass of wine, which was admittedly going down easier than I expected, and took a small sip.

"I knew I wanted to do something for our anniversary that only I could do, to make sure it was a really special and unique thing for both of us." I paused to shovel some rice into my mouth while Erika took her time chewing on a particularly large hunk of marbled beef.

"So the moment one of my Gym Trainers suggested going to a show... I remembered I could use my connections to get us some great seats." I continued with a grin, feeling especially proud of myself for that idea.

"Ooh," A light turned on in Erika's eyes. "You've been talking to your Gym Trainers more?"

"Yeah. Well, no, not really. But I will! Anyway, don't interrupt!"

Erika winked at me and buried her mouth in her glass with a bubbly giggle.

The little tangent made it even easier for me to remain talkative rather than falling anxious as I continued; "Anyway, when I was arranging things with the Kimono Girls, Zuki suggested that I could be a part of the performance. They all knew I could perform from when I was younger, but I was... hesitant."

"What made you decide to?"

"Honestly, I had spent most of the day mentally preparing myself for the possibility. And because I, personally, wanted to do something I thought _you'd_ really like, so... by the time the show was over, I felt as ready as I'd ever be."

Erika was leaning her cute pink cheek in her hand, her eyes appearing to gleam in the moonlight as she gazed dotingly at me. "Obviously, I loved it. You really _didn't_ have to indulge me like that, but my inner child was absolutely losing it at seeing her celebrity crush being a complete badass on stage for her."

"Y-yeah." My eyes widened and darted around. A bright red blush spread across my own cheeks and I buried my nose in my drink again. "Th-that was... kinda what I was going for."

"And _I_ wasn't the only one." Erika smirked at me, reaching over the table to poke my forehead so I looked at her again. "Valerie? She was losing it too, her and Eevee couldn't get over how cool you were. The moment the show ended, she was trying to politely shout through the applause to me about how inspiring you and Espeon were."

I choked slightly - yet still ungracefully - on my drink. 'Inspiring'? There's no way that was true. I became so briefly occupied by that word that I momentarily forgot where I was, and forgot that I was coughing on my wine, or that my face was almost as red as my dress.

"You okay, honey?" Her voice brought me back to reality again.

I held my fist to my collar and breathed in deeply to clear my throat. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just..."

"Yeah, I know." She smiled a warm, loving glow at me, her eyes betraying a deep and proud understanding.

So... she probably knew exactly what was on my mind.

Erika squeezed my hand and continued. "You know, Valerie actually wants to be a performer herself. That, plus the fact that she spends a lot of time with Ecruteak's celebs..."

"Yeaaah yeaah..." I grinned sheepishly and squeezed her hand back.  
"I won't go on about it if it bothers you, but..."  
"It doesn't bother me when it's you, don't worry."

"That's good..." she sighed and smiled gently again. "Look! I'm just saying that... Who knows..? It could be another example of taking back something you had negative associations with, and making it your own thing."

Like with my powers, yeah. I pouted. Admittedly, this really wasn't the sort of thing I wanted to think about too much tonight... but it wasn't her fault. I had, of course, been thinking about it all day in the run up to the performance.

Erika stood up from her chair and came around to mine, leaning down slightly and hugging me from behind. "I'm sorry... I'll drop this again now." She rubbed my shoulders and kissed my head. "Tonight is about the future, right? Not the past."

"That's right." I smiled up at her and brought my hand to huddle her arms against me... She always felt so warm.

"Besides," she continued teasingly, "I have a more important question. How did you do that thing where your Espeon appeared from behind your leg and then vanished again when he rubbed up against your other leg?"

"That was Naoko's Espeon, not mine."

"That's not an answer!"

"A great psychic never reveals her secrets." I beamed at her with a giggle, and she giggled back, squeezing me a little more tightly.

Erika held me quietly, lazily resting her nose in my hair as we listened to the surf.

After a few more moments of calm, I broke the silence. "Hey... are you done eating?"

"It would be a shame to leave the drinks, but I guess... why?"

I got up from my own chair, quickly spinning around and pecking her on the lips. "We're booked for a while, so they'll leave the drinks here until we leave. Come with me!"

Gripping Erika by the hand and being rewarded with a little surprised blush, I led her in the direction of the pier.

After a short walk, we stood on the edge of the southernmost pier, looking out over the ocean. Ferries had now stopped coming and going for the day, and to say it was serene was putting it lightly.

There was a slight chill on the wind, but I certainly didn't mind. Erika and I held each others' hands tightly and squeezed up against one another. The food, drink, atmosphere, company... everything about it was warm. How could I _not_ feel warm?

"Sorry." I turned to Erika and smiled sheepishly. "I just thought this would be nice."

"Apologising too much is a bad habit you still haven't broken." Erika muttered through a giggle. She leaned her head into mine and nuzzled my cheek, giving it a chaste peck. "I love it here, by the way."

"I'm glad." A warm smile spread across my face as she snuggled into me. "It feels great, looking over the ocean from here... I really wanted to show you, for some reason."

"You don't need a reason." she sighed into me, giving my hand another reassuring squeeze. "Wanna sit?"

We sat down on the edge of the boardwalk, our legs dangling above the water. Luckily the tail of my dress wasn't long enough to dip in... that would have been embarrassing.

"Quiet moments like this..." I murmured peacefully, finding myself lying against Erika's shoulder. She leant her head into mine.

"Yeah."

"We fell in love through moments like this, didn't we?"

A gentle silence fell, as Erika mused over my question. I could tell she was thinking about it from the familiar way she cuddled me and ran her thumb over my knuckles.

"You may be right." Erika muttered quietly, sounding a little choked. We giggled.

"Back when I was too shy to open up much to you, you regularly invited me round to your Gym. We sat together in near-silence, enjoying the peaceful company..."

"That brief stop in National Park on New Years' Day sticks in my mind for a similar reason. I felt so torn back then, but thinking back on it, I was so happy..."

"The night after our first date too, when you thought you heard Hoothoot in the woods?"

"You remember that? Even I don't remember the Hoothoot bit. I just remember how amazing your dress looked that night."

"Talking about Pokémon like that has always been your thing, but back then your passion for it was still so fascinatingly different to me... so I can't help but remember."

Erika looked at me as I stared into the sky, spotting a couple of Pidgeotto diving into the water a little further out, catching Krabby and Magikarp before flying back towards land with their spoils. I felt Erika's grip on my arm tighten, as she nuzzled her weight and her head more heavily against mine.

"You really love me, don't you?" She awkwardly mumbled, sprinkling it with a chuckle.

I nodded my head against hers and turned to peck her jaw. She turned to meet my lips with hers', and we locked lips peacefully for a few moments. Her grip on my hand tightened.

"This has probably been one of the best nights I've had in years." she said as we exchanged gazes. "The fact I feel like I've said that multiple times to you in the last year says a lot, huh."

"It says you really love me, too." A goofy smile spread across my cheeks. I felt my own voice choking a little, and before I knew it I was welling up with tears slightly.

Erika held my face in both her hands, and bumped our foreheads together. "I can't remember the last time I was this unabashedly happy... a little nostalgia to compliment looking forward is perfect sometimes, don't you think?"

I held my hands over hers', and pushed my nose against hers'. "I dunno why, but this kind of nostalgia feels perfect for tonight, anyway."

My eyes shut in serene relaxation as we sunk into another kiss. I felt her lips curling into an elated smile before we parted again.

"Mm... I think it's just like you said, Sabrina.

It's because we fell in love through moments like this."

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(Notes: **_**_:') Ugh, this chapter makes me really emotional, especially towards the end. It's been a while since I wrote something so fluffy and heartfelt that it made me well up with tears (and then well up again while reading)._**

**_I wanted to capture the feeling of a couple who confidently adore each other and are really excited about their future together._**

**_With any luck, I made a few of you emotional with this chapter as well. For anyone who's read the story since the beginning of Erika, I hoped for moments like this to be emotionally satisfying and meaningful. I'm so proud of these two characters and how much they've grown together. Writing a long story like this one makes the growth feel gradual and grounded too. Once again, I'm just happy I'm still writing this story._**

**_The parallels to Ch10 (Moonlight) of "Erika" were intentional. I missed writing date chapters, and thought their anniversary would be an amazing way to show how much (or how little) had changed about their dynamic since their first date._**

**_I hadn't originally intended to use Valerie again in the story, but I'm happy I got to. It makes her appearance in "Erika" feel less random. The Kimono Girls too... while Sabrina and Erika's relationship is the focus of this chapter, the way Sabrina and Espeon relate to these characters helps to further Sabrina's own character arc._**

**_Thank you again so much to everyone who's stuck with this story for so long! See you all again in two weeks!)_**

Glossary:

wagyu - Japanese beef. The 'Goldenrod beef' in this story is inspired by a kind of wagyu called 'Kobe beef'. Incidentally, Johto is based on the real-life Kansai region, and Kobe is in Kansai.


	10. (Jasmine)

**x**

* * *

For the next month or so, Erika and I fell into a kind of second honeymoon phase - which was... basically the best.

Unlike the fluffy period that ensued when we first got together, we were now living together and we understood each other so much better.

Our anniversary served as the perfect ice-breaker following months of stress from every corner of our lives. That mixture of nostalgia and newness was exactly what both of us needed. Smitten feelings and affection were rekindled as strong as they had been when we first started dating, now combined with how mutually confident we were about a stable future for our relationship.

We talked about _everything_ now - and unlike before, there wasn't much of a filter on either of us. I spoke candidly about my abilities and used them in many things, from chores to flirting. Erika laughed unreservedly around me with a bright, unashamed smile on her face. She had been biting her lips far less often. She hummed and sang while we did chores together, and often tried to get me to join in.

And... I didn't mind.

I didn't mind being silly, putting down my walls around her, because she enjoyed me so much. The way I smiled so much every day that my cheeks hurt probably played a big part in helping Erika to avoid picking up that fan of hers' again too.

It was so... freeing. We had this companionship that made it easier than it had ever been before to enjoy being our complete, uncaged selves.

I know I've said this a lot since we got together, but this was the happiest I'd ever been. Seriously! I was in love with my best friend, and she felt the same way about me. Sure, like every couple, we wouldn't be 100% free of issues forever, but for now? The smiles she blessed me with every day convinced me that we _deserved_ this.

Luckily for everyone else, we were just as good at being best friends as we were at being in love. Being completely attached at the hip meant that, if anything, we were both _more_ relaxed in social situations. No awkward third wheel stuff during the tea meetups every week, and a _lot_ less moments of utter social discomfort for me than when I was younger.

Which was probably just as well, because our meetups had gotten some... unexpected new regulars.

...

"I've heard a lot about you! I'm _so_ delighted to finally properly meet you!"

Karen's handshake was vigorous and strong, but warmer than I had expected it to be.

She did dress surprisingly casually for an Elite Four member, in a breezy yellow top, her frizzy silver-blue hair falling all over her back and shoulders.

But... how should I put this. There was a very intentional casualness to her. I sensed that she wanted everyone to know she was friendly and reliable but could kick your ass if you wronged her. In that way, there was something even more intense about her than Lorelei.

Her argent stare was definitely quite intense too... as if reading me herself. I blinked, struggling to maintain eye-contact. I couldn't help but feel a little withdrawn in intimidation. Lorelei's eager smile from nearby definitely helped to take an edge off this tension I felt.

In fact, I couldn't help but blush at the implication that _Lorelei,_ of all people, had apparently taken so much of a... liking? To _me_?

"I-I'm flattered." I finally responded. "I figured Lorelei would have more interesting things to talk about than me."

I felt Erika squeeze my hand under the table, a subtle reminder that I was throwing microaggressions at myself again. Whoops. I sighed, and tried to relax.

Karen raised an amused eyebrow as Lorelei giggled. "See? So _humble_!" Lorelei grinned.

"It definitely doesn't match her fierce image," Karen stated brazenly, "Oh, that's a compliment by the way!" She added, awkwardly moving back to sit next to Lorelei. She swung a leg over the other and took a sip of tea, before sighing happily and leaning slightly on Lorelei.

I paused in thought for a moment. I used to be fine with having a fierce image... it was part of my 'brand' as a strong Gym Leader. Now? I wasn't sure I liked people making those sorts of judgements about me without having _met_ me.

"Out of curiosity," I began, "What sort of things do you think perpetuate an image like that in a Trainer?"

Erika giggled and squeezed my arm, trying to get me not to overthink. "It's the cool magazine covers, sweetie."

I noticed Karen's eyes widen briefly though. She leant forward into the table, intensifying her staring contest with me. "A whole bunch of things, really. The dark way you dress and present yourself... your reputation as a Gym Leader who ruthlessly uses powerful Pokémon... the fact you turned away from the public eye for years... that kinda thing."

Lorelei elbowed Karen, making the silver-haired women lurch and almost spill her tea. "Sometimes I think you forget how scary you can be, Karen."

"Geez, I'm not being scary!" Karen giggled lightly, "I was just answering her question honestly!"

The whole time, Whitney had been staring at them both from the other side of the table, blushing furiously, her eyes darting back and forth from them to her PokéGear. Erika couldn't help but giggle, which did lighten the mood a little.

Still, though...

I stared up at the sky and sipped at my tea thoughtfully. Something in my stomach was swirling around... a little stray anxiety.

What Karen had said was honest... and none of it was incorrect. But something about it had gotten under my skin.

"Don't take her too seriously, guys." Lorelei waved a carefree hand towards Erika and myself. "She's a bit of a person-watcher. She loves analysing stuff like that because she finds people and how they interact with Pokémon fascinating."

Karen gasped audibly towards Lorelei. "Don't tell them that! You gossiper!" She nudged Lorelei roughly.

"You love being called that. It makes you feel validated."

"Whatever." Karen giggled and hummed as she smiled into her tea, leaning a little on Lorelei again.

I was still staring absentmindedly at Karen, but I don't think she noticed. The corner of my consciousness noticed Whitney awkwardly shambling around the table, her arms quivering, a pen and notepad in her hands. She stiffly thrust them towards Lorelei and Karen and blurted something out.

Erika gave my arm another squeeze. "You okay, honey? I'm certain she didn't mean anything by it." she muttered quietly to me, while the others were distracted by autographs.

"I'm fine." I smiled and leaned into her. "Just some stuff to think about."

"Hey, Sabrina!" Whitney, finally returning to familiar territory after her fated encounter with the super-celebs, strode up to me. "Can I get an autograph from you, too? I heard about that performance you took part in at Ecruteak!"

"O-oh." I blinked, suddenly becoming self-conscious again. "Uh... sure, I guess." I hesitantly gave her my usual telekinetic signature and meekly handed the pad back.

"Oh yeah, I heard about that too." Karen spoke up, turning to me again. "I've been meaning to ask, actually..." she once again locked her cold, silver eyes with mine, unblinking. "Why don't you put on performances with your Pokémon, like Will does? It seems like you're good at them."

'Like Will', huh.

Did Karen... have a _problem_ with me? For some reason, everything she was saying to me was putting me in fight-or-flight mode. Like she knew all my weaknesses already and was just... pushing them.

"I have an uneasy history with performance." I admitted, but in my defensive mood tried to validate the comment with further explanation. "And my job is Gym Leader... my Pokémon are trained to be strong, not to perform. I wouldn't want to force that on them."

Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Oh Arceus here we go." I saw her mutter under her breath.

"To be _strong_, huh? Disappointing." Karen paused, continuing to stare unblinking at me for a short while... it felt like a lot longer than it actually was.

"Makes sense though, I guess!" she finally continued breezily, smiling calmly as she got up out of her seat. "Anyways, I gotta go. Thanks so much for the tea, I really don't get tea this good very often!"

"Seriously? You only just _got_ here!" Lorelei pouted theatrically.

"You've only been unemployed for a few months and you've already forgotten how busy things can get at the Pokémon League? You're so mean, Lorelei..." Karen jokingly ruffled Lorelei's hair, then turned to give us all bright smiles and waves. "It was so so cool meeting all of you! I hope you won't mind if I come by again?"

Erika stood out of her seat and went to give Karen another hand-shake. "We'd be delighted! Send Lance our well-wishes, he's had a really rough couple of months too."

"Will do. Later!"

And with that, she took off on her Honchkrow back towards the west.

"I... don't think she likes me." I wondered aloud, awkwardly scratching my face and fiddling with my teacup in my other hand.

Lorelei got up from her seat and came to comfortingly pat me on the shoulder. "Naaah no way! It's _fiine_! She's just... like that."

Erika turned to Lorelei with a concerned pout, huddling my arm a little too tightly. "She definitely wasn't acting maliciously, she seemed nice! But... no one likes to be called 'disappointing' by a celebrity, you know?"

"Yeaah, I know." Lorelei sighed, pulling her glasses down slightly to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Like I said before, she's really good friends with Will, and then there's this thing she has about people who use Pokémon solely for strength."

"So, she doesn't like me."

"Sabrina, you're not like that about Pokémon either..." Erika shoved her weight into me playfully. "She just doesn't know you yet."

"Exactly!" Lorelei added. "She doesn't know you, but she's a really great person, I promise! We'll come hang out again and you can get to know each other better."

"P-plus!" Whitney suddenly found an opening to pipe up. "You shouldn't let other peoples misjudgements get to you so much! I mean... if she said that kinda thing to me it would totally ruin _my_ day sure... but that's what Jasmine always says."

Erika beamed at Whitney's uncharacteristic attempt to cheer me up, but then looked around in concern. "That reminds me... where _is_ Jasmine? I haven't seen her around lately..."

Suddenly remembering what I had seen in Jasmine's Gym before the anniversary, I stared down at the ground anxiously.

"I-I was actually hoping to talk to you guys about that..." Whitney fiddled with her hands. It really wasn't like her to show physical signs of worrying like that. "She's been really weird lately."

I looked up at both Erika and Whitney. Both of them were closer to Jasmine than I was...

it... it would be best for Jasmine... if someone she was close to knew about it, right? Or would that be an invasion of privacy...?

"I, uh..." I breathed in, "There's something I should probably talk to you both about." I confessed.

Lorelei, expertly reading the mood as always, moved to get her things. "I have this problem with being nosy, so I'm gonna go too. For what it's worth, I hope Jasmine's doing okay."

After Lorelei left, the remainder of us headed to Erika's Gym for a little more privacy.

I... couldn't bring myself to tell Erika and Whitney that I had seen Jasmine crying by herself in the dark. I just told them that when I had gone to visit her in Olivine, she... didn't seem okay.

Was that the right way to handle it? Handle her privacy?

The more we exchanged thoughts and observations about how Jasmine hadn't been the same way since the eruption though, the more intensely worried we started to become. I could tell Whitney wasn't used to being so vocally caring about people from the way she stuttered and struggled to word her concerns, but that only further convinced Erika and myself that she was really, really worried.

So Erika and I, being the adults, agreed to visit Jasmine ourselves as a sort of... intervention.

After all... both of us had gotten pretty good at confronting people we cared about, and encouraging them to open up.

* * *

"Jasmine, sweetie? Are you here?"

Erika assertively yet carefully stepped in through the front doors of Olivine Gym. As on the day I visited, the Gym was gloomy, rocky, empty. It actually seemed even more dimly lit than before.

Erika shot me a concerned look, and I nodded. "It's a little darker than last time, but yeah. This is her Gym."

Heading a little further in, Erika anxiously lifted a fist to her chest. The basket of treats and snacks Erika carried in her arm creaked slightly as she tensed her elbow.

"Jasmine?" I called out too. "We came to say hi!"

Nothing. There wasn't a single sound in the Gym, it was deadly silent. The way our voices echoed around the rocks was a little unnerving.

Giving another look-over the Gym, Erika turned back to me. "What a dingy place... it's like a dungeon. How can she be happy if she works somewhere like this?"

It was clear she was hesitant to say that kind of thing aloud out of concern of sounding judgemental, but Erika valued the health-benefits of fresh air and pleasant scenery more than anyone I knew. I couldn't blame her for being worried.

"Maybe we should check the lighth-" I started, but before I could finish speaking the Gym's doors slid open, followed by the sound of sniffling.

"U-uhm... hello? *sniff* Who's there? A challenger?"

"Jasmine, sweetie, it's us!" Erika replied cheerily, expertly hiding her concern behind a mask of confidence.

"O-oh!" I saw Jasmine wipe her face through the silhouette of the outside light. "Sorry you two, I'll get some lights on!"

We heard the jangling of keys, then what sounded like a run-down old generator starting up. The lights on the Gym came on one-by-one, loudly, like floodlights.

The younger Gym Leader approaches us with a sweet smile on her reddened face. "S-so, uh... this is a nice surprise! Can I get you some tea, or something like that?"

"Sorry to drop in on you so suddenly." Erika tilted her head, beaming her warm smile down on Jasmine as she held up the basket of snacks in her arm. "We've missed you lately, so we brought by some snacks to catch up a little!"

Jasmine broke eye-contact and stared down at the ground. She seemed to squirm a little, as if whirring to conjure up some excuse. "Th-that's very kind... sorry I haven't visited Kanto in a while, I've just been so busy..."

... I kind of recognised this behaviour. This sort of evasive tense behaviour that both Erika and I have put on in the past because we didn't want anyone to worry about us.

The kind of false 'I'm fine' front we forced up until it was too late.

I wanted... I wanted us to be there for Jasmine, _before_ things could get that bad.

"Jasmine." I gave her my kindest most earnest gaze, a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I saw you, the other week... You know I did, right?"

Struggling to maintain eye-contact with me, Jasmine started blinking rapidly, her gaze darting around anxiously. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out besides stutters. Then, she just stared at the ground and nodded.

Erika walked to give Jasmine a gentle but secure hug, before reaching down to grip the girl's hand. "We care about you... even Whitney is worried. It doesn't matter what kind of issue it is, we're still just your friends who want to support each other and hear about each others lives... all right?"

Jasmine's quiet tremble appeared to settle a little as Erika hugged her, but she still struggled to look us in the eyes. To our relief though, she eventually responded.

"Okay."

...

Jasmine's living areas were, thankfully, less dingy. A quaint little space of just a few rooms that felt a little run-down, but not to a concerning degree. It looked very lived-in, just not as lively as the living areas in Celadon or Saffron Gym.

A few of Jasmine's Magnemite whirred around, carrying trays of tea and cups from where Jasmine had prepared them into her living area by suspending them in the air. Jasmine's mood had notably brightened, she happily chatted with the Pokémon, giving them affectionate pokes and pets on their metallic foreheads in thanks.

That girl really did seem comfortable around Pokémon.

"A lot of the utensils and stuff in this house are made with iron or nickel, to make it easier for my Pokémon to do things with me." She explained sweetly as she joined us at the sitting area with a few plates and bowls for the snacks Erika had brought. "It feels much more like a home with Magnemite out, though Steelix is much too big to fit into these small rooms unfortunately..." she awkwardly chuckled to herself, petting Steelix's Pokéball affectionately.

Erika began to pull things from the basket. A small variety of edible berries, as well as an assortment of simple sandwiches including egg or pork cutlet, were laid out onto the plates. There were a few sweet taiyaki we had bought from Olivine Market before arriving, which were still warm.

"So, how's Amphy been? We haven't seen you in a little while, but it feels like it's been even longer since we saw Amphy." Erika began, trying to ease into the admittedly difficult conversation as she helped herself to a bright Leppa Berry.

Jasmine, still seeming a little too meek to eat much besides a couple of Grepa Berries, sipped at her tea before responding. "Uhm... Amphy is quite well, actually. They've been a little more on-edge since the eruption, but..."

That made sense. Erika and I nodded quietly. Before either of us could respond though, Jasmine continued.

"Uh... They haven't been wanting to come down from the lighthouse lately, because they worry that if they're not up there at all times they could miss a ship that really needs them. Like, the direness of the eruption made them anxious of just how important their job is. Like someone could, uhm... d-die without them."

Her words came out clearly and quickly, as if the lid had popped off of a sealed bottle, but Jasmine's voice began to quiver a little as she spoke. She clasped her hands together, fidgeting slightly.

I was beginning to understand what must have been part of Jasmine's troubles lately... and she really did find it much easier to talk about Amphy than about herself.

"So you've been visiting Amphy at the lighthouse more often lately?" Erika asked, politely handing out egg sandwiches to all three of us. That was one way to make it tougher for Jasmine to refuse.

Jasmine absentmindedly obliged, taking the sandwich and biting into it. "U-uhm... yes. And no."

"And no...?" I gently prodded her to elaborate. It was becoming increasingly obvious that she had things she wanted to say, but lacked the comfort or reassurance she needed to open up without fear.

"W-well it's..." her breath started to become a little unsteady. She put down her sandwich and took another sip of tea, breathing in deeply. "It's overwhelming. The l-lighthouse, I mean. It's overwhelming, and sometimes I c-can't stand it."

... She stared at the ceiling and bit her lip hard, appearing to panic a little. "N-no, that was unfair of me, i-it's-"

"It's okay," Erika nodded confidently at her, "Whatever you're feeling comes from somewhere. You can process it safely here, we're here for you."

Jasmine nodded, though her arms and fists starting to shake more. "It's a mess...! It's in a state of utter disrepair! There are holes in the floors, shattered windows, boarded up doors... e-even dangerous people hanging out there..."

Her shaking intensified as she raised her voice.

"A-and the City _won't_ allocate the funds needed to repair it, because the local tourism industry is now focused on the Battle Frontier project, o-of course. And I can't afford the repairs myself! Because I'm just _me_, a _kid_! I'm just _a_ _kid_! Sometimes I can barely even afford to look after Amphy as well as myself, let _alone_ save up the money needed for the lighthouse! And the local government says they'll handle the funds to fix up _my Gym_ if I need it, but not the lighthouse!? What kind of stupid unfair joke _is that_!?"

Her voice built up and up, until the stuttered disjointed sentences tumbling from her trembling throat sounded more like strained screams.

Neither Erika or I had ever heard Jasmine get so worked up, about... anything.

"A-and at first I thought I could handle it if I just kept saving up... but e-ever since the eruption I-... _I-**I**_...!"

Jasmine's voice cracked, her face red. She heaved an ached, squeaked gasp as tears began to build in her eyes. Both of us rushed to sit on the couch either side of her, Erika gripping tight onto Jasmine's hand. "It's okay... it's okay. Take your time." she muttered comfortingly.

"M-mmh..." Jasmine nodded with a meek squeak. "I-I'm so sorry I-..." she pulled her free hand to her face and rubbed at her eyes. "I'm not used to this. Th-that probably sounds so stupid, I'm s-so sorry."

At her words, I felt a familiar ache at my heart... but at the same time, I smiled involuntarily. In fact, I had to prevent myself from chuckling. I noticed Erika smiling to me, as well.

"Hey." I gently stroked Jasmine's hair back. "I guarantee you, I am the _last_ person on Earth who's going to think this sounds stupid."

"You remind me of someone else I love a lot." Erika followed up, continuing to grin at me.

Jasmine looked up at us, smiling meekly as tears slipped quietly from her eyes. "Ahaha..." she forced a laugh, wiping her red face again. "Th-that doesn't change how stupid I feel in myself. I'm supposed to be the 'mature kid', y-y'know? I'm supposed to be able to handle it, like I always have done... but lately I've been thinking, maybe I c-can't."

"You're surrounded by friends who thought they were supposed to be able to 'handle it'." Erika said, pulling Jasmine's hand into a hug. "The eruption traumatised so many people, not just around Kanto and Johto but all of Japan. Tell us what you're going through, we'll help you through it. We promise... we couldn't have done it alone ourselves."

"... Y-you're not going to give me a choice, are you?" Jasmine asked. I could tell that she was only asking this for one last bit of validation. She smiled at us through her tears, she already knew what our answers would be.

We both shook our heads, and smiled at her.

Tears still trickling from her eyes, and her voice still raspy, Jasmine gave Erika's hand a grateful squeeze and pulled back. She clasped her hands around her teacup, and continued.

"... Ever since the eruption, I've been wondering, uhm... who the hell I was k-kidding, I guess. Acting like the mature, reliable Olivine City Gym Leader when I couldn't even imagine doing or going through what so many other people did that night. I felt like a coward... I felt overwhelmed by the weight of reality. The miserable vibes of my Gym... the dire state of Olivine Lighthouse... the fact I'm too shy to even _speak_ around the Elite Four, let alone be of real use to anyone..."

She sniffed quietly and hiccuped, wiping her nose with her arm. Memories of her awkward demeanour around Lance and Lorelei flashed in my mind... and as someone who used to constantly struggle relaxing in social situations with people I respected, it was easy for me to see why those things were building and weighing on her.

"How am I _supposed_ to be the mature reliable one? I'm just a kid! I'm a j-joke, I've just been in way over my head all this time, pretending I had it together until it became too much for me to bear."

Jasmine slumped over, pushing her ashamed face into her hands. "I can't be a Gym Leader... I can't look after the lighthouse or Amphy... everything... feels like it's too much." She stammered, her words drooping into dejected mumbles as her emotional exhaustion seemingly started to get the better of her.

Erika rubbed Jasmine's back reassuringly in a brief silence. I stared ahead, at the Gym's slightly worn walls.

"Sounds like you need a change of scenery too." I thought out loud. An unplanned vocal observation... I couldn't help but resonate with Jasmine's situation. "You feel stuck. Scared for the future, but doubling down on work means you're spending so much time being mature that you forget what you're even doing it for."

Jasmine looked at me and bit her lip as tears trickled down. She looked a little annoyed. "U-uhm... i-it's for Amphy, they're all alone without me...!"

"Jasmine, sweetie..." Erika murmured in her delicately soothing voice, stroking the younger girl's hair comfortingly. "I swear to Arceus, most of the people you think are mature and reliable are also pretty much just pretending to have it together. That's a big part of what being an adult is, and you're putting too much pressure on yourself."

"Remember how on-edge and awkward I was when we first started hanging out? I felt like I was _way_ shyer than you." I huffed a gentle smile at Jasmine myself. "And not to be a gossip, but..." I giggled. "Even Lance seemed like he was about to burst from stress the during the whole disaster. Think about it... his awkward smiles, his fury... what makes you think he's never had any breakdowns of his own behind the scenes? Elite Four members are still only human."

"And look at Lorelei," Erika bounced off of me, holding out a finger and winking as her tone became a little more teasing. "You just _know_ that woman's working through some crap. She lives by herself with dolls, and now she's unemployed and drinks alcohol in the middle of the day."

"-And yet she's still cool as hell." I bounced back myself with a smirk, feeling the urge to prevent the gossip from becoming too... gossipy. Somehow, without noticing it, I had become pretty attached to Lorelei.

"And she is, absolutely, cool as hell." Erika smiled sweetly at both of us.

Jasmine couldn't help but giggle at Erika and myself bouncing the conversation between us so energetically. "Y-you two really are a great couple, you know that?" she muttered from behind a smile, wiping her eyes with her finger.

"The point, Jasmine..." Erika continued, her voice calming again, "is that when you hang out with Gym Leaders and popular Trainers with public lives... everyone who has a public face is still dealing with their own stuff behind the scenes. So many Gym Leaders are kids or fairly young adults who are still trying to figure their lives out and, well... just, please don't think that you're alone."

"M-mm..." Jasmine giggled again in between whimpers, still wiping her eyes. "I-I just... I don't know what I'm supposed to do to cope..."

Another short silence fell - and it felt longer because it was _awkward_.

The banter had calmed and the mood had lightened slightly, but there really was no silver bullet for Jasmine's situation.

But I knew what needed to be said... no, reiterated. When I said it before, it seemed to bug her... but she probably needed to hear it... right? I hoped this wouldn't be a mistake...

"You need a break." I stated plainly. "How are you going to be there for Amphy if you work yourself sick? How will you make Amphy smile? What's best for Amphy isn't always _just about Amphy_... you're Amphy's _best friend_, right?"

Jasmine had held her mouth open to say something, but she closed it again. She scrunched her hands at her skirt and fidgeted.

I looked down at the ground myself, trying to put myself in Jasmine's head. Figuratively, of course. I didn't need to read her mind to empathise with how overwhelmed she felt.

"Inspiration isn't... always a positive experience." I bit my lip awkwardly, trying to vocalise what I meant. "The experiences we have that make us want to change can be beautiful... or they can be horrible."

I shot a look at Erika, who was looking at me with her own solemn expression. But she nodded with approval, and I continued.

"But inspiration is still just a feeling. The drive to act on it has to come from within. Sometimes, with the help of a little outside prodding," I grinned at Erika, then looked back to Jasmine. "But you still have to take those steps by yourself. _For_ yourself."

Jasmine kept her eyes on me as I got up and wandered over to one of the Gym's run-down walls. I ran my hand along it... a fragment of the plaster crumbled beneath my fingers. "Be there for others by being there for yourself. The local government will refurbish your Gym for if you ask, so do it."

"B-but the lighthou-"

"What does leaving the Gym run-down accomplish? It keeps you feeling stuck and trapped, but it leaves the lighthouse no-closer to being refurbished either. Now is the time to _let yourself_ become a _new you_, not the time for pride."

"She's right. You know she is." Erika held her hands around Jasmine's shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. "Take that motivation to change, and _let yourself_. A change of scenery at home... and a real break..."

"A _real break_!" I continued, beaming earnestly at Jasmine. "If you could see _anything_ that would make you feel a more positive inspiration and motivation, what would it be?"

"I-I, uhm...!" Jasmine's eyes darted around, taken aback by all the sudden enthusiasm. "I guess, I've always wanted to see a really nice, modern lighthouse, in person?"

"Then do that! Take a trip! Go see a lighthouse!" I affirmed confidently.

"B-but that doesn't solve my problem of looking after Amphy! I'm still all they've got-...!"

"_I'll_ look after Amphy!" I pressed my hand to my chest, grinning exuberantly and excitedly. "I'd never even _been_ to Olivine until recently, but now I feel so many new things just staring out over the ocean... so imagine what a change of scenery could do for _you_!?"

Erika's eyes were practically shimmering at me as she clasped her hands together. "Well then! Are you going to say no to the coolest Gym Leader in Kanto?" she grinned as she nudged Jasmine playfully.

Jasmine sniffed, still staring at the ground. Her whimpers and cries had stopped, and she was quiet. The argumentative and stubborn attitude she was showing earlier seemed to have subsided, and I could practically feel the cogs inside her head stirring and whirring in contemplation.

She struggled to keep a tiny, tickled smile from creeping onto her face.

"U-uhm... this is all a little sudden, I think... b-but I can... think about it...?"

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(Notes: **"When you hang out with Gym Leaders and popular Trainers with public lives... everyone who has a public face is still dealing with their own stuff behind the scenes. So many Gym Leaders are kids or fairly young adults who are still trying to figure their lives out and, well... just, please don't think that you're alone."_

_**This chapter is already pretty important in terms of character growth, but that line of Erika's is possibly my favourite line in the whole story. I've been thinking about it ever since I wrote it. It captures the entire essence of this story so wonderfully. Having something that summarises the plot so well be said by Sabrina's original inspiration just feels perfect.**_

_**Sabrina and Erika are getting so powerful! A pep talk power-couple. I can't get enough of writing the way they bounce off each other so trustingly. Sabrina's sudden excited urging for Jasmine to do things for herself is a scene I particularly love though. Comparing how Sabrina was at the beginning of "Erika" to how she is now... she's grown so much, I'm so proud of her ;-;**_

_**Jasmine may as well be the third main character of this story, so when I started writing "Sabrina" I decided I wanted to give her a character arc of her own. All her appearances in "Sabrina" thus far have had little hints to what she's been going through, but now we finally get the full picture.**_

_**The Pokémon world seems like an utopia sometimes, but when I look at places like Olivine Lighthouse, I can't help but wonder how it got like that. I really enjoyed trying to delve into local politics with the Team Rocket subplots a few chapters back, and decided it'd make a solid explanation for the dilapidated lighthouse. The Battle Frontier is a cool place, but the tourism industry is focused on that rather than saving the lighthouse... it's a moral conundrum a lot of small towns are familiar with.**_

_**I always found it strange that Jasmine's Gym in GSC was such a barebones, dark-looking place. In HGSS it looks more like a Gym. I liked the idea of playing around with both "designs" as part of her character arc.**_

_**A lot of the things we know about Jasmine are foreshadowed in this chapter. Actually, Jasmine's character arc in this story as a whole was inspired by wanting to bridge together and give context to what we know from her few appearances. Since Erika is her only known friend besides Amphy in canon, I thought she may be involved. Since Sabrina likes to spend time in Olivine City in canon, that's even more convenient. It writes itself!**_

_**After her cameo appearance in chapter 4, Karen finally makes her proper debut here! She obviously wasn't the chapter's main event, but I'm sure she made an impression on some. I think out of every character I've introduced recently, I'm *really* happy with how I've portrayed Karen and her dynamics with both Lorelei and Sabrina.**_

_**Her dynamic with Sabrina is inspired by her typing - Dark beats Psychic, so I thought what if she's the kind of person who could get under Sabrina's skin way easier than most people could, even without meaning to? I decided to use this in conjunction with Karen's famous line about 'strong and weak Pokémon being the selfish perception of people' to flesh her out as someone who's passionate and charismatic, but straightforward. Karen isn't a character who is very fleshed out in canon, which is why I'm especially proud of this interpretation.**_

_**Her appearance continues to set the stage for the direction of Sabrina's character arc... so you can expect to see her again.)**_

Glossary:

taiyaki - a Japanese cake shaped like a fish. It usually has a filling, like red-bean paste, but custard and chocolate are also common fillings.


	11. (Performer)

_**(Notes: Stuff happened that prevented me from getting this up here earlier this week, sorry about that! Enjoy the chapter!)**_

* * *

**x**

* * *

"You're still sure about that? It wasn't long ago that I burnt out from taking on too much, remember..." Erika fussed over me before leaving for work one morning. It was coming to the end of autumn already, but she was still worried about the enthusiastic offer I had made to Jasmine.

She'd gotten into the habit of subconsciously neatening up my clothes, after putting on her kimono and doing her makeup. Her fuss was entirely unnecessary, but it was cute. I nodded, using my telekinesis to adjust the sash on her kimono just slightly.

"Oh that's better, thank you." she mumbled with a giggle and stroked my hair.

"Yes, I'm sure," I finally responded with a firm nod, "I'd just close my Gym a little more often to make up for it. Jasmine's still far from ready to make a decision anyway."

"I'm closer to her, so I could always..."

"Come on, you're supposed to be taking on less yourself."

Erika looked into my eyes for a few moments. Eventually, her concerned pout melted into a gentle smile. "All right... Just don't feel like you're obligated to this after saying something so cool. It's okay to back out of this stuff if you need to."

I reached up and stroked my taller girlfriend's cheek, beaming back at her. "I know you're worried, but we share a room now. I won't end up over my head, but if I do you'll notice and we'll work through it together, okay?"

"Yeah, I trust you." she cupped my own cheek in her hand, and we leant in to share a brief, doting kiss.

"You're not going out today, right?" She asked.

"Not today, no." I hummed and placed another small kiss on her jaw.

"Then I'll see you here this afternoon for nap time?"

"Sounds perfect."

After shining her light on me and stroking my cheek with her thumb for a few more moments, we wished each other well and she headed to work.

Getting up earlier to wish Erika off nowadays meant that my mornings in the Gym felt a little longer.

It gave me the time to properly feed my Pokémon (and myself), as well as get the Gym's teleport panels and stuff properly up and running before my Gym Trainers even got here. Sometimes, there was even a little time for a little extra meditation or training.

The Gym Trainers quietly appreciated this, I think. They used to do much of the setup themselves, but since I handled it now they had a little more time to meditate or chat themselves.

This morning, a group of four of them had gathered in my central battle room before the Gym opened its doors to challengers. Channeler Stacy was elsewhere, in her own battle room as always. She preferred to keep to herself, something I couldn't say I didn't understand.

Three of them were peering curiously at a magazine Jared was reading; Jared always did seem to have his fingers on the pulse of things.

"So you think it's true? That Sabrina's going to make a big performance comeback?" Franklin asked Jared as he stared over his shoulder at an article.

"I-it's not that I think that's what will happen, it's just weird that she suddenly performed for the first time in forever, right? Even if it was for their anniversary..." Jared awkwardly fumbled, seemingly taking care in what he said.

Amanda, a Channeler-turned-Ace Trainer, grinned at them both with her arms crossed. "I'd bet it's because Will suddenly appeared, and became the inspiring Psychic everyone talks about nowadays. Maybe she got jealous."

"N-no way..." Jared laughed awkwardly, "Sabrina doesn't need to put on shows to be way cooler than Will."

"Will _is_ really cool though, right?" Franklin raised an eyebrow, "You've seen him live, there's no way you don't find him cool."

"Exactly," Amanda nodded, "Sabrina's strong, but she hasn't done much besides face challengers in years, and she's been getting softer too. Everyone talked about how her warmer body language during the PokéGear promotion didn't fit her appearance. Her image is in flux, and Will is taking advantage of that."

"Yeah Will's a great performer," Jared continued, "but, I dunno. The way he commands Pokémon in performance is really... scripted. Melodramatic. Look, why do you guys work for Sabrina? What captivates you about this place?"

Franklin stared thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment. "Well, it's true that there aren't many other places to hone your skills as a psychic around here, but the whole reason I want to pursue this stuff is because Sabrina inspired me in the first place. She's really cool and strong."

"She is strong. _Extremely_ strong." Amanda nodded, a hint of wistfulness in her tone. "But there's more to inspiring people than strength, and Will actually _gets_ that. What inspired me as a kid was Sabrina's stage shows, and she doesn't do those anymore."

"What about you, old lady?" Franklin turned to Medium Darcy, a Trainer who had only joined the Gym fairly recently despite her old age. "Why do you work here?"

Darcy had been meditating while eavesdropping on the conversation. She already seemed to have her answer; "I have studied psychic powers and the occult for most of my life... I simply feel a great deal of respect and gratitude towards Sabrina's family for all they have done for the field."

"So most of us are here for reasons unrelated to Sabrina's current ability as a psychic." Amanda shrugged. "Now do you see why Will is becoming so popular, Jared?"

"Girl look, Will's fine I guess." Jared pouted defensively. "The point I've been trying to make is that I've seen reruns of Sabrina's old shows on TV, I've seen Will perform live, and the way Sabrina battles _now_ has this spark that neither the old Sabrina or the current Will have."

"She is a magnificent psychic and Trainer." Darcy nodded. "She does her family's name proud."

"I already admitted she's strong," Amanda pouted back, "But that's not what inspired me about her as a kid."

"I'm saying that it's _not_ just that she's strong. It's the _way_ she battles, the way she commands, like. It's beautiful, it's like her and her Pokémon breathe the same breath, think the same thoughts, _beyond_ the basic psychic stuff. That's why all it took was one unexpected performance for her to suddenly be the hottest topic again."

"_Basic psychic stuff_," Amanda scoffed, "You're a real wordsmith today."

Franklin had been quiet in thought for a couple of minutes, but he finally spoke up again. "I dunno. I can kinda see what he means? I think the reason I'm curious about the idea of Sabrina performing again is that... when I watch her battle, I can't help but feel excited by the very _idea_ of her performing."

"Mmh..." Amanda mumbled and gripped her arm, seemingly torn.

Jared stood up and smiled sheepishly at Amanda. "B-besides... when she spoke to me the other month it seemed like all she was concerned about was her date. It didn't seem like the Will thing was on her mind at all."

Finally finding a new foothold, Amanda grinned and ruffled Jared's hair. "So you're sticking up for Sabrina because you're her favourite, huh?"

"N-no!" Jared flushed beet-red, "I-it's not like that, I just think that-"

Amanda huffed a sheepish smile herself and put her fists on her hips. "It's fine, I'm kidding... maybe I do need to try looking at things in a new way. I've been working here for ages already..."

"So," I said as I finally wandered into the room, "What's in that magazine that's gotten you all so excited?" I raised an amused eyebrow.

I had been a little more talkative with all the Gym Trainers recently actually. It was something I was pushing myself to do more - being a better boss - but it was still difficult since I really barely knew any of them.

Apparently, my ability to read social cues was still pretty poor too.

Jared's face stayed a deep shade of red. "D-did you hear all of that!?"

"Most of it," I leant a fist on my hip and smirked, "This is my challenger room, after all."

Yeah, I'm still not an omniscient narrator, just very observant. It wasn't like I eavesdropped intentionally either; I had just overheard as I was preparing and didn't feel the need to interrupt.

Jared's redness was joined by Franklin's, while Amanda awkwardly looked the other direction. Darcy simply chuckled lightly to herself.

I kept smiling gently however. "Please don't worry, none of this bothers me. I've been talked about as either a cold and distant person or as a celebrity for most of my life, and I don't make it my business to know or understand the ins and outs of the way everyone sees me."

And I meant what I said. It was the same with Clair's rant at me earlier in the year - it didn't bother me at all because we didn't know each other. Compared to what Karen had said to me the day I met her, nothing they said got anywhere close to bothering me.

"W-well we uh-," Jared fumbled with his words, still red, "Everyone here ultimately thinks you're really cool, and that's what matters right?"

I smiled calmly at the group as I approached them. "I was serious when I said it didn't bother me. I'm actually more flattered that you all use the word 'inspired' so nonchalantly like that. I can assure you I'm not a particularly inspiring person."

The three of them paused, their embarrassment lightening as they exchanged concerned glances.

"Uh, anyway," I crossed my arms and tilted my head, "I really am curious about that magazine. Would you mind?"

Jared's eyes lit up again, "Oh, here." He passed it to me, his voice a little quiet, "It's just an article of impressions and reviews from the show you suddenly put on the other month... the editors said you turned down every single request for comment."

"Yeah, I considered telling them I only did it for my girlfriend but decided against it. You all know I'm not a big fan of that sort of paparazzi prying." I mentioned, skimming my eyes through the article. All the impressions seemed to be extremely positive, despite some evident irritation throughout the prose at how secretive I was. Plenty of usage of that old 'cold psychic queen' nickname... sigh.

Flicking through the magazine I noticed several advertisements for Will's show and an article about it as well. Will seemed to be a regular feature lately in this magazine Jared collected.

But, to my surprise, _I_ was the one who dominated the front cover. I couldn't help but frown that it was a photograph of me that I didn't recognise; a candid shot of myself at Goldenrod Station. Still it was surrounded by taglines like 'could the legend be making a performance comeback!?' and 'Sabrina's shock performance stuns critics!'

I must have been pulling weird faces as I stared at the cover, because I realised that my mouth was hung open when Jared spoke up a few moments later.

"I-I really wish I could have been there... eheheh..." he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "It sounded really incredible..."

Smiling sheepishly, I handed him the magazine back. "That's not my thing anymore, I have nothing to prove, and I don't really like being a celebrity either. Leave that stuff to people like Will."

Jared pouted. Even Amanda looked a little dejected.

"U-uhhm." I heard Franklin's voice suddenly croak. "Since it's out there now though, I meant what I said earlier! You're one of my biggest inspirations, Sabrina! Ever! And way cooler than Will!"

"O-oh yeah M-m-mine too!" Jared followed, "Th-though you probably already knew that huh."

A little taken aback by the sudden heavy praise, a light pink found its way onto my cheeks. "Again I'm flattered, but I don't think you should call people an 'inspiration' so lightly."

All of a sudden Amanda jolted straight, her fists clenched at her side.

"It's not light. They don't use it _lightly_." She muttered flatly, avoiding eye-contact. "Your battles inspire Jared and Franklin. Your performances inspired Jared. ... They inspired me. All of us... even Stacy." She continued, her tone gradually mounting.

"Your shows were the whole reason I _became_ a psychic. You changed my _life_! So you can't just assume that we're using the phrase _lightly_! You can't _do_ that!"

Amanda's face reddening with emotion, I couldn't help but take a step back in muted shock. "I-, uhm..." I mumbled, trying to wrap my mind around what she was saying whilst trying not to lose my cool.

"Read our minds if you doubt us. Go on. I give you permission." Amanda said sternly, finally locking eye-contact with me. She stepped closer to me, steadfast, her hand on her thumping chest.

How was I supposed to react to this? The mood had escalated a little more than I had anticipated.

"I prefer not to pry into the minds and personal feelings of others if I can help it." I responded plainly.

We stared each other down stubbornly for a few moments.

Before too long though, Amanda's eyes broke contact. Amanda clutched her fists at her side and stared at the ground. "Ugh!" She grimaced, before spinning around and storming back to her battle room.

My mouth hung open in muted confusion as I watched her go. "Did I... say something wrong?" I frowned.

Both Jared and Franklin darted their eyes around, awkwardly trying not to look at me. "I-I uh... well..." Jared mumbled.

"That girl put her pride on the line in order to submit her mind to you. She offered proof of your importance to her... even despite the things she said earlier." Darcy noted, smiling gently at the three of us. "That is to say, you rejected her vulnerability."

I stared at the ground for a moment in quiet realisation, subconsciously wincing.

I had been so wrapped up in 'maintaining' my self-doubt that I had unintentionally humiliated someone who dared to challenge it.

I thought I had gotten better than this...

... So, I will be. I had only just recently started to get to know my Gym Trainers, so I had to be more proactive about being someone they could look up to. Not just as a boss, but as a person.

As... a role model, I guess.

I regained my cool quickly, standing straight and wearing a confident, assured expression as I turned to the others and nodded sheepishly. "Yes, that was... thoughtless of me. I'll be sure to properly apologise to her before work begins for the day."

Franklin was still a little speechless, but I noticed the anxiety in him and Jared ease slightly. Jared found it a little easier to smile and respond. "Th-thanks... but if you don't mind me saying so, she was right."

Sheepishly huffing and tilting my head, I smiled at him before turning towards the warp pad to Amanda's battle room.

"A-and!" Jared continued, "You really should check out Will's show! If you do that, it'll be way easier for you to understand the difference between you two!"

The 'difference between us', huh.

I seriously didn't feel like I had anything to prove to anyone.

_Least_ of all Will, he was just a moron. Maybe his idiocy was grounded in genuine ignorance, so I was trying not to resent him, but I really didn't care much for him or his misplaced self-righteous attitude either way.

"M-maybe if you did that then... you'd see what I... what _we_ meant." Jared nervously, but earnestly tried to smile.

Still facing away, I stared at the ground for a moment and sighed quietly. I turned back to him with a gentle smile. "If I make up for all of this by treating you all to juice after work today, can we agree to just drop this trivial Will thing?"

Clearly pretty pleased with the idea of being treated by a boss who barely noticed they existed a few months ago, Franklin and Jared's expressions brightened further.

"That sounds like a pretty good deal to me." Franklin nodded happily to Jared.

Jared rubbed the back of his head and sighed himself. "Yeah... yeah, okay. I can live with that for now. Thanks Sabrina."

With that, the two boys got their things together and busily headed towards their own battle rooms to get ready for work.

Darcy chuckled lightly as they warped away, then turned to smile lightly at me. "All this stuff is really important to kids, hm?"

I chuckled back to her with a light shrug and sheepish smile. "See you later." I waved.

The mood in the air successfully lightening, I made my way to Amanda's warp pad as everyone else headed to their battle rooms for the day ahead.

...

Considering how weirdly the day had started out, the rest of the it went about as smoothly as it could have done.

I gave an awkward but earnest apology to Amanda, and she responded with something similar. A little strained, but that was to be expected.

Then after work, I bought juice for Amanda, Jared, Franklin and even Stacy, as I promised.

None of us had ever been particularly sociable or chatty people, least of all Stacy, so it was definitely a stiff gathering.

Still... I don't think they would have come if they didn't want to. It was a simple gesture that was appreciated, and I think it helped everyone to feel a little more like colleagues, rather than people who just happened to work at the same place and never acknowledged each others' existences.

Anyway.

Of course things weren't going to be all sunshine and rainbows right away. For me, at least, my mood wasn't exactly _great_ until my own sunshine and rainbow came home for a nap that afternoon.

Listening to Erika chattering breezily about her day as we rested together, then had tea and snacks, then dinner, was enough to keep my spirits high.

But I'd been quieter than usual that evening. I kept going over the morning's events in my head, but I hadn't really even noticed how much I was dwelling on it until I realised that I hadn't been reciprocating Erika's chatter or banter like usual. She'd been using her hand-fan more today too, and I hadn't even noticed that until the late evening.

So it was, that I found myself staring at the ceiling in thought that night, after we had gotten into bed.

"Soo..." I felt Erika shuffle and snuggle up next to me under the covers, "You feeling okay, honey? You've been all pensive all evening."

I turned my head to her and huffed a smile, subconsciously lying up against her some more myself. Winter was approaching... so sharing warmth with someone at night was wonderful.

My eyes had adjusted enough to the dark to make out her concerned pout. "Yeah... I'm okay. It's just awkward getting to know my Gym Trainers." I rested my arm on hers and huddled her back.

"Wanna talk about it?" Erika gave my arm a squeeze and playfully poked her nose against mine.

"Mmh..." I mulled aloud.

I mean... I couldn't think of a reason not to. It might help, she was a good listener.

After Erika and I had reshuffled into a more relaxed cuddle, Erika leaning her head on my shoulder, I went over what had happened. Overhearing the conversation, the comparisons to Will, the way I embarrassed Amanda... I explained most of it through and through, but admittedly skirted over my disregarding of being called 'inspiring'.

I guess not talking about it made it all the more obvious it was bothering me. So, of course, Erika immediately picked up on it.

"You still have big problems seeing yourself in the understanding way you see others, huh." Erika sighed, reaching a hand up to stroke my hair reassuringly, evidently hoping I wouldn't be too upset by her observation.

"I-it's hard!" I pouted. "Growing up, I never once felt that I 'shone' or 'sparkled' the way my inspirations did. To me, I just did what I was _meant_ to do, and never anything more."

"But you've heard enough to the contrary by now," she gave my hand a light squeeze, "Being compared favourably to a popular Elite Four member like Will, at your Gym? The place where most of Johto and Kanto's Psychic Trainers like to gather? That's not bad at all, sweetie."

I pouted again, "I really don't care for the comparisons, y'know..." butting the side of my head to hers lightly in protest. "Come on..."

"Yeah, I know..." Erika giggled and nuzzled her head back into mine again. "So, what are you dwelling on then? The comparisons? Being called an inspiration?"

Shutting my eyes for a few moments to feel Erika's warm hair against my own, I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling again. "A bit of everything. I couldn't care less about Will himself, but how can I be a good role-model to these kids if I just seem like I'm shutting down their gossip or telling them not to feel inspired by me? Even though I genuinely struggle to believe how they could feel that way to begin with..."

"Then rise above it." I felt her shoulders shrug comfortably against mine. "That's what you _want_ to do, but you're struggling 'cus you're not actually convinced."

"The hell..." I mumbled aloud and subconsciously slapped my free hand to my face, though I couldn't help but laugh. "What does that even mean?"

"Like, Jared recommended you go check out Will's show, right? Why not just do it then?"

"Because it would be a waste of time?"

"Look at it this way; the worst that could happen is you discover that Will _does_ bug you, which is the kind of thing you should probably know about yourself, isn't it?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but closed it again as I processed what Erika had just said.

Then, I frowned.

Finding out that I had some kind of unhealthy grudge against Will after trying to convince myself I didn't care about him... would definitely be something I'd rather keep in check.

"Dammit. You're good."

"Ufufufu~" Erika giggled gleefully, nuzzling me with her nose and giving me a peck. I felt her lips smile against my cheek.

She was always looking out for me like this, huh...

"Okay okay, enough about me." I turned my head and pecked her back. "How about you? You've been using the fan a little more than usual today, so I'd been wondering..."

Erika's turn to pout, before sighing a smile and turning to face the ceiling herself. "You're super observant, even when you're distracted."

Uh, it's been a while, so... to recap, Erika used to carry this hand-fan with her everywhere. And I mean _everywhere_.

She used to hold it over her face pretty much every time she felt anxious, to the point where it got unhealthy. She'd been trying to use it a lot less and had been doing a good job, but habits like that are really hard to break so it did crop up again from time to time.

I nudged her playfully with my elbow and huddled her arm in my other hand. "It's not like you were trying to hide anything from me."

"Nah, of course not." Erika sighed warmly, giving my arm a squeeze and shuffling her body closer against mine again. She bit her bottom lip, then chewed it a little before biting a different part of her lip. This was something I still saw her do fairly often, a much harder habit to break than the fan thing. She just didn't hide it from me the way she used to.

"I guess I... relapsed a little today." she smiled weakly at me. "I've been doing better since I moved in with you, but lately I've just been so worried about Jasmine and stuff... and negative thoughts took over again."

"Sweetie..." I squeezed her a little tighter in reassurance.

"I started dwelling on how powerless I am about some of the things I care about... before I knew it, I'd been staring at the Grimer infestation in Celadon City for like half an hour already." She forced an awkward laugh and sheepish smile.

"Hey, it's okay." I gripped her hand in mine and comfortingly pressed my thumb to her warm palm. "You've been doing kinda ridiculously well since we moved in together. You're still making progress, a little relapse like this doesn't change that."

"Yeah..." Erika replied. "I know, but... it's annoying, I guess. I was in a bad mood all day after that, chattering nonstop earlier was all I could do to keep my mind off it. And now I'm worried that I'll just give in and go Grimer-watching every time I feel powerless about Jasmine, or whatever..."

Suddenly feeling more motivated, I rolled over onto my side and faced her, pulling both my hands to hold her head affectionately. "Look... if I promise to go see this Will thing, and keep being more and more understanding to my colleagues, will you do your best to avoid those habits for me?"

Rolling back onto her side herself, locking her dark-adjusted eyes with mine and smiling warmly at me, she nodded. "Yeah... I can do that. Thank you."

* * *

Having a little motivation was really all I needed. Compared to the healing process Erika was going through, going to go see Will's show was trivial.

Not to mention putting things off wasn't something I _did_. Sure I dwelt on questions of the heart and mind for a good while sometimes, but when I decided to do something, I usually did it pretty quickly.

Plus, meeting that Trainer from Pallet Town two years ago convinced me... life's too short to put things off!

So, the day after next, I closed down my Gym for the day and headed to Johto - fully intending to watch Will's show for myself. Just to get it out the way, just to say I had, just to satisfy a little morbid curiosity about the psychic-pro people kept on comparing me to nowadays.

After spending a few hours keeping Jasmine and Amphy company while I waited for the theatre to open for the afternoon, I made my way to Ecruteak Dance Hall.

It was the middle of the week and many people were still at work, so it wasn't hugely busy. Under a little less pressure this time, I lingered around the reception area, looking at some of the posters.

Will's poster had been relegated a little since I was last here - I guessed that his show's current run was almost over. It was nearing the end of performance season after all.

"Hey there, stranger," A familiar, friendly voice called from nearby, "Another nice surprise! What are you sneaking around here for?"

I turned and greeted Zuki with a light smile. "Hey, Zuki. I'm here to see a show today, actually."

"By yourself this time, huh?" Zuki raised an eyebrow at me with a playful grin, and walked around the reception counter. She bent down, and I noticed that her Umbreon was curled up on a well-loved pillow back there as she gave him an affectionate pet. "We've been seeing more of you lately, Sabrina. It's nice! Discovered a new passion for traditional dance?"

I rolled my eyes with a grin of my own. She was joking, of course. I think the Kimono Girls generally respected how I felt and weren't eager to tease me about my history of performance. "Honestly I'm just curious about Will's performance and if it'll help with my own training, so I hoped it catch it before the run ended."

A little white-lie. That wasn't the real reason I wanted to see Will's show, but it wasn't untrue either.

"Aha! We were actually wondering if that was something you'd be interested in. It's been a a long time since we put on any psychic shows from people outside your family."

Honestly, as little as I cared for Will, the idea of seeing a show as soullessly formulated and concocted as those my family put on was an even more off-putting idea. "That's a pretty low bar." I joked facetiously, shaking my head. "One for Will's show though, please."

"It's on the house." Zuki theatrically slapped a ticket down on the counter between us, beaming at me. "We want you to visit more often, so consider it my treat."

I scowled playfully, but then smiled and pulled out my wallet. "Look, I have no interest in seeing it for free. I've already taken advantage of your kindness once in the last few months." I began to theatrically count Pokédollar bills from my wallet using telekinesis.

Zuki picked up the ticket and walked back around the reception desk to me, then tried to slip the ticket into my pocket. "Nope, I insist! The others would want the same thing."

Throwing my head back and sighing, I turned to look at the poster again. I paused for a few moments in thought. "Okay, okay... how about this. If I pay, you can do me an _extra_ favour." I turned towards Zuki again with a grin.

"Let me watch the show from somewhere I won't be seen."

...

For whatever reason, the Kimono Girls really were very fond of me.

Without making too much fuss, Zuki did me a favour by letting me pay full price for my ticket, letting me watch the show from somewhere Will wouldn't notice me, and all without making a big deal over it.

I felt genuinely respected. Appreciated. If she wanted me to be less of a stranger, it was working, I guess.

So... about Will's performance then.

A fairly impressive exhibition of how psychic abilities could be used to enhance a typical magic show, if I were to describe it in a sentence.

Will's thespian charisma was the real thing; he and his Pokémon were very talented indeed. It was easy to tell that they were all incredibly strong and capable psychics.

But... how to put this.

I left the show feeling like its climax never arrived.

The production was... okay? It just didn't feel like it had anything to say.

And... as I walked back to Goldenrod Station that evening, I couldn't help but think to myself...

'_I could do better... I could do better pretty easily._'

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(Notes: "Sabrina" is almost as long as "Erika" already... but it's still a fair few chapters away from being finished! Maybe my chapters are too long nowadays? Hmmmmm.**_

_**By the end of this chapter, it may be becoming increasingly obvious the direction that Sabrina's character arc is headed.**_

_**I foreshadowed it very lightly in "Erika", because I didn't originally intend to cover it in the story... but things just worked out that way! It's working out very nicely.**_

_**And speaking of that, the story is headed into its final major arc now. While it'll last longer than "Erika's" final arc did, there are a few intentional parallels. I finally introduce more of Sabrina's Gym Trainers as a way of exploring Sabrina's responsibilities and affects on the people around her - similarly to how I introduced Erika's Gym Trainers nearer the end of "Erika".**_

_**Jared's become a bit more confident around Sabrina, and Amanda has a little character arc of her own. In FRLG, Amanda was a Channeler, but in Let's Go she's an Ace Trainer, so I thought up a little something about how that might reflect in her attitude towards things.**_

_**In this chapter, Sabrina shows a good example of how our insecurities can get the better of us, even when we think we're being objective. Sabrina is so busy belittling herself that she ends up unintentionally hurting someone who looks up to her.**_

_**Some people find it difficult to compliment others, it'd be nice if people became more comfortable with accepting compliments and stuff.**_

_**The next chapter is an important one - one that I've been planning ever since I started writing "Erika" back in 2017! See you then!)**_


	12. (Clothes)

_**(Notes: I had a tough August and ended up forgetting to upload here (again), so here's two chapters for you! Ch13 will be up shortly.)**_

* * *

**x**

* * *

To my relief, life continued to calm down over the Winter period.

No shocking dramatic twists or turns. A little stress from Erika and myself here, a little tension between Karen and myself there, but nothing we couldn't handle.

The New Year came and went, blanketed in a comfortable mundane. The Ecruteak City shrine visit was so oddly nostalgic; I had only done it that once last year, but somehow it already felt so dear and familiar.

I wasn't at all anxious this time. It was a wonderful, inspiriting day spent with friends, all looking optimistically to the year ahead.

Last year I had wished to be able to keep exploring and trying new things with Erika... and after everything that had happened in the past year, I was beyond grateful that I could still be with her, standing side-by-side at the donation box.

After that tumultuous year... peace and happiness for my friends. That seemed like a good wish to make.

I prayed for them to find revelation. Hope. Inspiration.

Erika... Janine... Whitney... Amanda... Lance...

... Jasmine...

Heh. Even Clair, sure, why not.

I wanted for them all to find something that moved them, made them feel confident to be who they were. A spark of inspiration to ignite their inner flames when they doubted themselves.

And if they ever needed help, or a little spare strength... well, I dunno. Maybe I could do that. Be a better me. A good girlfriend, a good friend, a good boss.

As part of that, I'd been spending more and more time with my Gym Trainers, both in and out of work. After the New Year, I decided to do even more.

I'd decided to start catching up with them about how they were doing once every two weeks or so. Some of them appreciated the chats, others were happier to be left to their own devices.

Jared had become even more chatty and comfortable around me pretty quickly, possibly helped by the fact he was the first I'd reached out to. He'd even become so relaxed that I didn't dislike him, that he'd started questioning my habits? Nonetheless, I could tell he was a good kid and we got along.

He seemed to have a thing for fashion. "Don't you have anything, like... more casual to wear?" He had remarked as a few of us went for tea and snacks after work one Friday.

"This is my public image, so it's fine, right?" I grinned sheepishly in response. He gave kind of a baffled shrug, before awkwardly trying to imply that my battle outfit didn't look very 'relaxing' to be in.

I guess I must have worried about embarrassing my colleagues, because I started to wear a plain, dark grey turtle-neck when I went out with them. Admittedly, I guess it did somehow help me to unwind a little more. I felt less stiff, a bit more personable around them. Less like a boss, more like a friend? It was nice.

Digression, but Erika said I was extra cuddly in it. Heheheh.

Franklin was fairly anxious about his more chatty boss, but he did seem to appreciate it. Stacy didn't seem to want to talk very often, but I could tell she appreciated the communication as well. She was especially happy to get more feedback than usual on her training, from a less formal standpoint.

Amanda... hm. There was definitely an air of awkwardness between us still. I couldn't help but feel like she didn't want to be around, but in a wistful sort of way... not a resentful way. I was still a little worried, but Erika reminded me that reaching out at all was probably helping.

Darcy, on the other hand, seemed content to keep to herself. She was plenty experienced, and ended up being the one asking me how _I_ was doing. She even often asked after my mother and grandmother, so... I definitely didn't go out of my way to talk to her.

How to mention that I was largely estranged from my family nowadays, without making a big deal out of it...? Oh well.

As for what seeing Will's show changed? A whole lot of nothing, really.

At least, I thought not.

After theatre season came to an end, I stopped hearing about Will as much for a little while. I honestly told Jared that I thought it was 'okay' without much pomp, to which he responded with some teasing 'I told you so!'s to Franklin and Amanda.

Incidentally, I'd done some more thinking over what I actually thought about it, and why.

First of all, I was pretty relieved that watching it didn't cause my blood to boil or anything. Will's popularity didn't bother me, he had a solid public persona and was making people happy.

What bothered me about him hadn't changed since I met him. It was the same thing that bothered me about his performance.

In terms of pure technical telekinetic skill? Will and his Pokémon were incredible, there was no doubt about it. Their ability was high level, and the worldly theatrical flair they put into their individual performances was that of experienced and endearing charisma.

But the problem was that their performances were _too _individual.

Like a exhibition; "Hey, look what we can do, let's take turns". There was no harmony, no flow, no potential for me as an audience member to grow invested in a gimmick or motif and experience that evolve or twist in a gripping way between Pokémon and Trainer.

_Was_ it a problem? It wasn't a problem for the critics who ate it up. With no comparable psychic show around, they were easily impressed.

But to me, who watched the performance feeling like it could have been so much more? I felt like it was no surprise that the Kimono Girls continued to completely overshadow even their psychic contemporaries.

Will and his Pokémon performed on the same stage, but they didn't perform _together_. Will... _still_ didn't see the beauty in the nature and personality of his Pokémon.

Not in the way Erika did.

Not in the way _**I**_ did.

And that's ultimately what I dwelt on. Not on Will's naivety of the beauty of Pokémon, but on how... On what _I_ would have done differently, if I were on that stage instead of him.

Not that I had any intention of performing. Of course not.

But _think about it_.

Think about the limitless possibilities of telekinesis as a concept... then think about what could be achieved if a Psychic Trainer's mind understood their Pokémon's feelings and mind enough to harmonise telekinesis? What kinds of spectacles would be possible!? And I don't just mean sealing exploding Koffing into musical orbs of shimmering multicoloured ice.

That _was_ pretty cool though. Heheh.

But... hm. I guess I thought about these things for months, for some reason or another.

I leaned back on my chair at a tea meet one Wednesday morning, one leg crossed over the other. I wore a pensive smile, staring up at the dull grey sky.

Winter had finally, mostly, come to an end, but cold and rainy weather had persisted into early spring. Either way, I was happy that we were finally meeting for tea more regularly again. Hanging around with my employees was nice, but I felt like I could relax much more easily around other Gym Leaders.

"It's nice that it's not raining, but it's still really ugly." Whitney snarked at me. "What's gotten you all smiley about that grey sky?"

"Shows what you know. The rain that follows winter can be especially beautiful." Misty stuck her nose up and looked down at Whitney with a haughty grin. Whitney stuck her tongue out at Misty.

"Just thinking about... Pokémon strategies? I guess." I chuckled. Easing back to reality, I leaned back on the table and took a sip from my cup. Hot tea at this cool time of year was pleasant, but things were feeling humid again as the air slowly got warmer and rainier... I tugged at the sides of my top, which had been chafing a little.

"Huh. 'Kay." Whitney focused her attention on me again, seemingly happy to forget Misty existed for a few moments. "By the way, I've been wondering if you ever got cold? That outfit of yours looks kinda light..."

Despite the humidity, Whitney was still dressed in a scarf and long thick socks. She seemed eager to start wearing shorts again though, she'd been wearing tracksuit leggings for much of the winter.

I pondered her question for a moment, but honestly I had never really struggled with the temperature before. Did _she_ want me to start wearing the dark grey turtle-neck too? It was getting a bit warm for that...

"You've known me for how long, and you only now ask this?" I raised an incredulous eyebrow at her.

"You seemed way scarier last winter so I didn't wanna ask." Whitney shrugged. She was definitely more relaxed around me than she used to be, that much was evident.

"Well, anyway," I put my lips to my cup again, "I'm not cold, no. I don't really get that cold unless it's the middle of winter, so I already feel pretty warm at this time of year."

Misty playfully threw an arm around my shoulders and smirked at Whitney. "That's 'cus she's a star, and stars like us don't get cold. Ain't that right?"

I jokingly rolled my eyes to the side at her. "More like being a psychic just makes regulating my body's energies like second nature."

I also seemed to recall Misty balking at Bruno for walking around without a top in the middle of winter the previous year... Hmmmm.

Well, whether or not it was bravado, Misty was now walking around in a swimsuit at _this_ time of year too. She'd recently started wearing a one-piece swimsuit instead of her old two-piece, though she sometimes wore a light-blue jacket over it like today.

Whitney shot a look at Misty, and then visibly shivered. "Man, I don't get you guys... how can you not be cold?"

"I guess I'm just not a cold person?" I smiled gently, leaning back in my chair and taking another sip of tea.

"Find that hard to believe." Whitney squinted at me in doubt. "What about the whole 'cold Trainer' image you had going on for like, forever?"

Did she totally miss this exact conversation with Karen back when we first met her? Somehow, observations like that were far less irksome from Whitney though. Still, I had admittedly been thinking about it more since then, so I couldn't say it didn't bug me either.

Misty confidently slapped a hand onto Whitney's shoulder. "If you can ask that without fear of angering her, then you probably don't find it _that_ hard to believe."

Whitney paused in thought for a few moments, her mouth agape, before shooting a brief glare to Misty, "...Sh-shut up, geez."

As the two squabbled between themselves, I leant back in my chair and my thoughts wandered once again.

It was feeling like the more time went on, the more people were implying to me that my image didn't match my personality.

Not only that, but looking back on the years I intentionally maintained a cold and powerful image for myself felt... _weird_. If people ever actually stopped talking about it, I probably would have completely forgotten it was even a thing. It felt almost like the Sabrina who really wanted to be perceived that way was a different person entirely.

"Don't lean back on your chair too much babe, you'll fall over." I felt familiar warm hands slide onto my shoulders, and warm lips on my hair. I subconsciously reached for her hand with my own before turning to beam at her.

As always, her appearance was just as warm as her smile. It was impressive how dedicated she was to usually wearing a kimono the year round, but I never really pondered it. It suited her too perfectly.

Erika sat at the table next to me, and I leaned forward again to set my cup down.

"Hey, uh..." I said, awkwardly scratching my cheek, "Do you guys ever think that, uhm... my appearance doesn't, like... suit me?"

I instinctively looked to Erika first, who heaved her weight a little towards me. "Don't let that stuff bother you, sweetie. You'll always be a hottie." she responded with a sheepish smile.

"I'm genuinely curious." I sat back and looked at my arm, my bangle clinging to the sleeve of the thin red turtle-neck I used as my battle outfit. "I look 'cool', but I also look 'cold', right?"

Whitney hopped to her feet and wandered around me eyeing me from multiple different angles, as if fancying herself some kind of fashion guru. "Cool is definitely right. Not plain like Jasmine."

Erika raised her eyebrows and reared her head back in surprise. "... You think Jasmine looks _plain_? Charming."

"She knows, it's whatever." Whitney shrugged, clearly more focused on me than her own rudeness. "Anyways Sabrina, I guess I never really questioned the 'cold' thing before 'cus it was part of your image, but after thinking about it long and hard I've decided you're actually a total softy."

"Thinking long and hard about it? You said 'find that hard to believe' literally three minutes ago." Misty scoffed, shoving Whitney to the side slightly to get a better look at my outfit herself.

"Shut up, geez!" Whitney repeated, her face turning as pink as her hair while she struggled to find a cool or composed foothold. All the while, Misty was zipping around my chair sizing me up.

Not particularly concerned with that, Erika easily caught my attention and pointed towards a group of young Nidoran playing in the flowers, our expressions brightening as we focused on them together for a few moments.

I must have totally stopped paying attention to whatever Misty was doing, but after a short while she was stood still across the table from me.

"... Yo, Sabrina." Misty's sharp clear voice snapped me back into the conversation. She was looking directly at my face, with a broad grin on her own. "What do _you_ think about the way you dress?"

"I'm not sure. That's why I'm asking." I smiled aloofly, still very pleased about the tiny Nidoran.

Misty pointed dramatically at my top. "Do _you_ particularly like that top? Do you dress like this 'cus you _love it_? 'Cus you vibe with it? 'Cus if you do, why not _stick with it_?"

I paused in thought for a moment. Did I 'love' it? I wore it because this is how a psychic dresses. It was... serviceable.

... But the more I contemplated Misty's question, the more stupid I felt about having never really... _thought_ about that sort of thing.

I'd been thinking so hard about abstract concepts like 'self-image', but I'd not really given any serious thought to my literal _outfit_.

"I'm... not sure I would say that I love it, no."

"So do you dress like that 'cus you feel like you have to?" Misty, seemingly getting really into this, strolled around me. She seemed a lot more confident about whatever this was than Whitney did, at least. "If you're unsure about your image and don't even love your outfit that much, why not dress a little more _warmly_?"

... Could I really do that? I was pretty sure I was just naturally a cold-looking person. That wasn't the kind of thing I could just... _change_.

Noticing me quiet in thought, Erika's expression buoyed a little, a silent excitement sprouting up through her body. "Hey, Sabrina... if you're thinking you're actually a pretty warm person, then I agree. The things you said to Jasmine... the things you say to me... you're someone who's full of passion and love."

A light blush heated up my head... but I nodded. I... I liked the idea of being a 'warm' person. I was enjoying life more and more since I started becoming so passionate and excited about so many things.

Erika's expression continued to brighten, shining more excellently by the second as she grasped at my hands. "So, if I said I could help fashion your image to better fit the person you are... for you to look the way you _feel_. Would you... trust me?"

Knots of anxiety began to twist... and untwist... and twist again in my stomach. My face still felt a little hot, from both uncertainty and embarrassment.

But also... excitement.

I clutched Erika's hands back meekly, but firmly.

"I... I think I want my image to reflect the way I feel. The kind of person I am _now_...!"

Erika's eyes positively glowed, sparkled, her mouth taking that all-too-familiar and assertive v-shape as she shot up from her chair.

"Then... it's time for some spring cleaning!"

...

In an afternoon punctuated by an uncanny feeling of pathetic fallacy, the sun burst through the grey clouds as Erika assertively marched me into Celadon Department Store.

I guess I was still embarrassed... but I couldn't help but think back to two years ago, when my friendship with Erika was in its awkward stages. How she assertively dragged me around a lot more often, egging me and nudging me to open up a bit more. Back then I would have been _furiously_ embarrassed, but now?

Just looking back on how I was then, and how we were now, I couldn't help but smile.

We dipped into the first store that caught Erika's sights, and she began eyeing the clothing racks like a Hawlucha, plucking out certain items and dropping into my arms.

"This goes with this. That, no, that's part of this outfit- oh, ohh... yeah that might work actually..."

"My colour coordination isn't _that_ bad, you know."

Erika stared at me and planted her fists on her hips, her head tilting, her mouth scrunching. "Uh... That's a thought." She tilted her head to the other side. "Babe, did you want to pick out your own outfit, or would you like me to handle the makeover?"

I could barely peek my eyes out from behind the building tower of clothes in my arms. "Are you kidding? The most fashion-smart person I've ever met is also my girlfriend. Not everyone is that lucky!" I laughed.

Erika's expression lit up with energy once again, animated with an enthusiastic nod. "W-well! If you insist!" she pumped her fist to the air and reached out to grasp my hand, assertively leading me and my precarious tower towards the dressing rooms.

I had my whole life ahead of me to pick my own outfits, right? But I was _new_ to this. I meant what I said about Erika's fashion sense, too.

And Arceus, her excitement about this was positively infectious! It made me wonder how the hell it had taken us so long to do this sort of thing. Yup, no buts! It was makeover time, and Erika was the only person who had a suitably thorough understanding of both fashion and... me!

"Twirl around for me!" She asked, after I shyly opened the dressing room curtain wearing a light blue and yellow summer-dress. I spun quietly, blushing as I avoided eye-contact and anxiously stared down at my exposed collar and shoulders.

"Not quite in season yet... no... it kinda clashes with your hair, I guess... okay, next!"

We headed from store to store, Erika excitedly piling heap after heap of clothing into my arms.

The more outfits I tried on, the more Erika's excitement undermined my shy anxiety. I turned about and showed off my outfits with growing confidence, eventually twirling and posing more theatrically and playfully as both of us laughed and giggled together. She tried the odd outfit on herself, occasionally matching with mine and posing together!

The mood of the afternoon made it feel like it was summer already... and my stomach hurt more from laughing than it had done for months.

My face a bright, inspirited pink, my lips smiling broadly from cheek to cheek, I zealously followed a virtually bouncing Erika around the upper floors of the department store.

'_This is... fun! This is so much fun!_'

We had been retracing our steps revisiting outfits and clothing we really liked. Both of us now held a bag of newly bought clothes in our arms, but Erika eventually led me somewhere that she had been wanting to keep a... surprise.

"All right. This is the place sweetie!" Erika chimed, turning to me with her eyes shut happily, "Tadaa...~!"

I did notice her subconsciously reach for her fan, and she was biting her lip. Something told me she was unsure about how I would react...

"A... hair salon!?" I noted aloud, the smile that had been plastered on my face for the last few hours froze open as I tried to digest what this... _meant_.

"You don't have to do this..." Erika chewed her lip absentmindedly, "but I think we could do something with your hair that feels a lot more energetic and carefree. Something that's more... Sabrina."

My hair... my precious, long, serpentine, mystical, iconic _hair_...

Then, I saw a smile sneak onto her face as she watched my own expression. She couldn't help but giggle when she noticed my hair lurching back and bristling up defensively, almost like a spooked wild Rattata.

"... Sometimes I wonder if your hair has a mind of its own."

Partly due to surprise, part embarrassment, part amusement, my mouth was still hung open in an awkward smile. "... It's weird that my hair is so animated by my emotions sometimes, isn't it?"

"I've always found it adorable."

"I thought you'd say that. There _is_ a lot of it though." my face relaxed into a genuine smile as I closed my eyes and walked to her side. "If I'm not careful, it could poke someone's eye out someday..."

Erika snorted a surprised laugh and covered her mouth with her hands. "D-don't be silly... I don't think that'd happen."

Responding with an unguarded giggle of my own, I slinked my free hand into Erika's and gave it a warm squeeze. "I'm saying sure... let's try to find something that's more 'me'. I can always grow it back again, but brushing hair this long is a pain even _with_ telekinesis."

I could virtually feel the tension seep away from Erika's posture. A luminous grin spread across her face and she locked arms with me, as we made our way into the salon.

...

My head was thumping. It felt a little stuck, like steam was building up in my skull. My face was red... It really was red, I could see it in the mirror. Oh, I could also feel air tickling the back of my neck as my hair stood up on my hot head, which was different.

It felt really weird. It was super noticeable.

I looked at the bangle on my right wrist, and took a deep breath in.

To be honest, feeling the air on my neck actually felt pretty nice, especially now that the weather was a little warmer. Feeling it on my collar and arms felt pretty good too.

I did feel a lot less heavy, I guess. Things felt like they were breathing.

Standing up straight and turning around, I took one last proper look at the mirror. I stretched my arm and looked at my side. I ruffled down my new crop top, briefly forgetting my stomach was _supposed_ to be exposed in this.

I looked at my face, and gave the back of my hair a little pat. Soft... There was a little buoyant spring to it that would take some getting used to.

But I smiled as I felt that lively spring in my hair, the light colours of my clothes. And I thought... I think _I'd_ prefer to see _this_ kind of person, smiling on a magazine cover.

At least, I _tried_ to tell myself that for the moment. I took another deep breath in, and stepped away. "I'm... done."

I pulled the curtain aside to be greeted with Erika, sat across from the changing rooms.

Her eyelids jolted when she spotted me. Then her eyes started to glow. Then a light pink scattered across her cheeks. Her posture straightened and she sprang to her feet, her arms and fists clasped to her front. She balled her fists at her chest as her mouth drooped open with muted surprise.

Then as her face grew redder, an expression of joyous jubilation was accompanied by the involuntary squeak that playfully escaped her throat.

"Aaaahhh! Aaaaaaaa_aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh_!" Once she realised she was squeaking, she stopped bothering to hold back. She let out excited yelps and bounced a little on her toes, clasping her hands together and squeeing with an enthusiasm that almost reminded me of Misty.

I, of course, couldn't help but blush _profusely_. I was really, _really_ grateful no one else was around, because Arceus... My face was red hot, I could feel it... but my hair standing up on end definitely felt less noticeable than usual.

Erika pranced up to me and grasped my hands in hers, beaming down into my anxious eyes.

My eyes averted contact with hers, darting around and looking at her arms, or her hands, catching my own magenta-coloured crop top, my own white pants, my pink slip-ons... then looking at my bracelets again and taking a breath in.

"Sabrina!" Erika's sweet, excited voice pleaded my attention. My eyes edged up, and a smile crept into the corner of my mouth as I met her own smiling face and delighted eyes.

"H-hi..." I stammered, a shy smile creeping comfortably onto my face in reflex of her own sweet expression.

"Hey~." Erika giggled flirtily, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"Hey..." I couldn't held but giggle back, my mood lightening from her fondly assertive banter. "H-how... do I look?"

She tilted her head and gave my upper arms an excited, comforting rub. Her assertive grin softened into an adoring, doting gaze. "You look great." She said, locking her kind eyes with mine. Her eyelids shut and her mouth took a sweet v-shaped grin as she grabbed my hand. "But what _**I**_ want to know is... Come on!"

Erika tugged me in the direction of a large mirror, and held me in front of her, her hands on my shoulders. She gave them an encouraging squeeze. "How do _you_ think you look?"

Seeing myself standing there... my lighter-coloured clothing. My arms and collar and waist all breathing. My short, energetic haircut. My excited girlfriend's cheeks flushing with excitement and adoration...

I put on a small smile, as I would for a photo-shoot. I put a hand on my hip. I wore a grin. Before I knew it, smiling for real felt a lot easier.

I blushed a little, but Erika seemed to be enjoying it. "Whoa! You really can do the whole 'the camera turned itself on' thing!"

"Shush." My smile widened into a laugh. "I just... it doesn't feel as weird as I thought it would. It's a really big change, but..."

"Your smile glows, honey." Erika beamed warmly at me via the mirror, slinking her arms around my stomach and leaning her chin on my shoulder.

I hugged her arms in one of mine. It was hard not to smile when she was being like this, and the warm, teal-haired woman smiling back at me in the mirror looked truly happy. Reliable. Confident.

And... cool. She looked cool. Without looking 'cold'.

Even if her face was red, and even if her posture was only _pretending_ to look relaxed, she looked like someone who _knew how_ to relax.

"I... think I like it?" I said. Vocalising the curious thought gave it decision. My posture straightened, my fluster lightened.

"I feel like... me."

The smile on my face brightened, my eyes widening as I tried to take in my new, positive, and self-assured glow.

"I feel like... Sabrina!"

* * *

**x**

* * *

**_(Notes: With this chapter, "Sabrina" is now longer than "Erika"! This sequel has really grown a lot from my initial ideas._**

**_When I started writing "Erika" back in 2017, I had three headcanons that I used as starting points to build the whole story around._**

**_1) Erika would assertively tell Sabrina they were dating_**  
**_2) Sabrina would discover that Erika hid her own insecurities_**  
**_3) Erika would excitedly handle Sabrina's makeover_**

**_The reason this chapter is so important to me is because I've had this in mind ever since then, maybe even longer. And it's finally done! Sabrina's character arc and the story in general has been fleshed out a lot since I started writing this whole thing, so it felt even further away._**

**_When HGSS came out, a lot of people thought Sabrina's redesign was really surprising or even confusing, but I always wondered maybe she's just become more comfortable with herself?_**

**_A huge part of Sabrina's character arc, in "Sabrina" especially, is about how she comes to terms with the fact that maybe she's actually /always/ been this lighthearted and warm person. She just never had the healthy space or relationships she needed to help her realise that. That the way she was taught she was "supposed to be" .. didn't actually mean she had to be like that if she didn't want to be._**

**_I feel like this theme is something that will resonate with a lot of people, for all kinds of reasons. Feeling comfortable in yourself is important, I hope we can all strive for that._**

**_Still, it's not like she hates showy battle outfits and stuff either! Her ability to play a cold role like that might even come in handy, don't you think?_**

**_Originally this was going to be right near the end of the story... but Sabrina's arc isn't done just yet! There's still a few more chapters left to go!)_**


	13. (Motivation)

**x**

* * *

Shoots were already starting to flower. It was impossible not to notice that here, with the sun beaming down through the light, breezy arrangement of trees. Pokémon frolicked in the gardens and brush, and young Trainers chatted amongst themselves. The rain had finally let up for a few days, so some were making the most of it by setting up picnics under the canopy of trees.

I shut my eyes and took in the crisp air, feeling it on my skin, as I meandered through the forest's relaxed twists and turns with my Hypno one morning.

It's kind of surreal how much a change in image can influence a change in attitude. Body language. Habits.

I had been so stuck in my own schedule for years, but I now began to see myself differently. Whether or not they showed it, others saw me differently too. Of course they did.

But rather than embarrassing, it was... freeing? I no longer felt like I needed to pretend I was still the old me. Just changing the way I dressed and presented myself served as the perfect excuse for me to change up my schedule even further, try even more new things.

And Arceus knows I loved doing that lately. Perhaps a little too much?

As the weather continued to warm up, I found myself closing my Gym more regularly each week - on top of the usual Wednesday tea meetups.

Sometimes in the afternoon, sometimes for the whole day, I was increasingly looking for excuses to take a day off and do something _different_.

The more I enjoyed there being more to life, more to my relationships, more to me than just being a good Gym Leader, the less I seemed to enjoy battling.

The only rush I got from battle nowadays came from feeling in sync with my Pokémon - and I preferred doing that in other, more relaxed circumstances anyway.

Pokémon battles were easy, simple, calculable. Sure, every now and then a Trainer appeared who battled like it was an art, in such a way that brought exhilaration to my heart... but that was too few and far between for me to enjoy battling as an art for itself.

No... battling didn't inspire me. The way Erika saw the world and Pokémon did.

The feeling I had when I realised Alakazam was more a friend than a battle partner. The elation at finally evolving Eevee into Espeon. The excitement at finding a wild Ralts in Johto. Those were the things about Pokémon that inspired me now.

I guess I had been... searching for little things that satisfied that feeling. Partially for myself, but also to help Erika feel more positive about the world and her accomplishments again. What with her current unease over Celadon City and everything.

Of course she wasn't going to get over her years-long habits and struggles within just half a year of moving in with me. She didn't use the fan nearly as much, but she still isolated herself sometimes - out of fear that she had failed, I think.

She hadn't been holding flower pressing or arrangement classes in Celadon nearly as often lately. I _knew_ she loved doing those things, but sometimes she felt Celadon was too difficult to be in. She also hadn't visited Viridian Forest _once_ since she had finished reforesting it. It was still marred with negative association for her.

But without Erika, who knows how long it would have taken _me_ to recognise the value of facing my own fears and negative associations in a new light?

She had always been inspiring me to not get stuck in those passionless ruts... so even if I couldn't 'inspire' her, I wanted to try doing_ something_. I wanted to help her remember that negative associations couldn't take away the things she loved!

So here I was; in Viridian Forest.

"Hmmh..." I mumbled aloud, holding my arm out, tracing it through the breeze along a row of thick, shaggy fir trees. My bracelet glowed a faint green, and I kept my eyes trained on it. For a brief moment, I caught a dim flicker of the bracelet's light.

"Here should do it." I turned to Hypno with a gentle grin, resting my fist on my hip. "Hypno, Headbutt!"

Twitching his nose, Hypno let out a gentle squeak of agreement. He gave the closest tree a firm _thunk_, and a shocked little Seedot tumbled out onto the grass.

"Y-yes!" My eyes widened with glee, my mouth open with excitement. I prepared to battle it!

Erika had always wanted a Seedot. I don't think she even knew they had migrated to the forest since its revitalisation, I just happened to find out thanks to a combination of seeing a Trainer here with one recently, and a hunch.

See, Seedot evolves into the Dark Type Pokémon, Nuzleaf. As long as there were Seedot around, it was likely there was at least one Nuzleaf in the nest.

Dark Types had a sort of blocking effect on psychic powers. Not literally making it it hard to breathe or anything, per se, but definitely having an effect on the energy flow in my body.

After failing to find any Dark Type Pokémon in the grass, I remembered that thing Bugsy showed us in Ilex Forest last year - and I remembered my Hypno had Headbutt. Anyway, you get the idea.

'_This'll make Erika so **happy**...!_' A grin spread from ear to ear, as I picked the Pokéball from the grass and tucked it to my waist.

To begin with though, the main reason I was visiting Viridian Forest was to see Erika's handiwork for myself. To inspire myself with the Pokémon, how they lived among the Trainers that loved to visit the forest. See if I couldn't find a way to make it a more positive thing for her again.

She worked so hard for it... she deserved to enjoy it the way all these Trainers and Pokémon did.

'_That aside, I wonder if telekinesis in coalescence with a Grass move like Energy Ball could create the feeling of life force filling the air..._' I aired my thoughts as we walked back towards Diglett Cave. Hypno tilted his head curiously. So he was interested in what that might do, too? Heheh. I whipped out my notepad and wrote it down.

I wanted to show Erika the natural beauty of Pokémon in a way I thought maybe only I could. I had been going to different parts of Kanto and Johto, taking in different atmospheres, trying to conjure up feelings of natural mysticism. What if I could solicit those feelings by harmonising Pokémon Moves with telekinesis, and other psychic abilities...?

Okay, confession time; in a weird, roundabout way, Will's show _had_ inspired me.

Seeing what Will's show had lacked, comparing it to some of the things I had seen and done myself over the last year... it made me realise there was a whole potential _world_ of harmony between Pokémon moves and psychic abilities out there. A field that seemed almost completely untapped! And knowing that no one else was exploring this, I couldn't _help_ it.

And as I watched wild Pokémon, took in landscapes, sights, atmospheres, ideas just... kept _flowing_ into my head.

At first, I thought '_I'll remember these, no problem_', but within minutes my mind was wandering somewhere else! So I had to start carrying a notepad and pen around with me, just so I could jot down anything that came to mind while I was out.

Interestingly though, there was probably nowhere that I felt more relaxed and could concentrate more easily than... Olivine City, of all places.

This was pretty convenient, actually. I got to spend time with Jasmine who was still hesitant to leave town much, and I got to soak myself in a thought-stimulating environment as I did so.

I would visit Olivine once or twice a week and just... sit. I would have tea at the restaurant, where I had become something of a regular. I would look out at the sea, the sun, the way it shimmered. I would listen to the waves, the diving Pidgeotto, the ferries, the bustle of the market.

And I would twirl my pen around between my fingers, occasionally batting its base against the pages of my notepad as I eased and enticed ideas to pour forth from my mind onto the pad - as I did that very afternoon.

It was only a quick trip from Diglett Tunnel, a hop on the ferry from Vermillion Pier to Olivine. It was difficult to avoid that temptation when I still had the whole day ahead of me, especially when the air felt so _good_.

I took a sip of coffee - I was trying something new. I scrunched my face at the bitterness and subconsciously mumbled distaste, but there was an earthy quality to it that I supposed I might see the appeal of if I stuck with it.

"That's an interesting face you're pulling there." I heard a familiar, quiet voice approach, just barely audible over the waves. I turned to give Jasmine a warm wave, and she joined me at the table. "How are you today, Sabrina?"

"I'm well." I grinned warmly at her, setting my pen down into the spine of my notepad. "Want me to order you some tea or something?"

"Naw, I'm okay." Jasmine waved her hand politely in decline.

Since I started visiting her more often, there had already been a notable improvement in the air between us. She was stuttering far less, I guessed because she felt more confident that I would be willing to listen to what she had to say.

Trying to pretend I liked my coffee, I took another sip of it. "How are things going with your Gym?"

"The main bulk of the refurbishment work is starting to be done now... so I'm having to take more time off. I have to admit, though..." Jasmine tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders with a smile, "... It's kind of exciting."

"I'm glad." I hummed a smile and shut my eyes. She already seemed a little more relaxed. "A-and, erm..." I continued, wondering how to word my next question.

"Y-yeah, I have thought about your offer, but I'm still not ready to leave Amphy." Jasmine giggled, awkwardly poking her fingers together. She seemed to know exactly what I was going to ask about. "Uhm, Amphy just worked so hard over the winter, so I'm a little w-worried about their health... and stuff."

Jasmine already seemed a little more spirited since last autumn herself. "It's all right, take your time." I beamed at her, absentmindedly picking up and fiddling with my pen again as we took in the sea breeze.

Getting out more to spend time with me... the excitement of her Gym's refurbishment... it all must have been helping, at least a bit.

When I had stopped daydreaming for a moment, I realised that Jasmine was a little leant over the table, looking at me curiously. "A-anyway... what are you up to, if you don't mind my asking?" she said.

"Umm." I froze for a few moments, looking at my notepad as I tried to think of how to respond. I hadn't really talked to anyone but Erika about my new hobby yet, but as I processed the thought I realised there wasn't really a reason to keep it from Jasmine either. "I've been coming up with ways that telekinesis and Pokémon abilities could harmonise to create unique spectacles. I guess."

I ended up putting it in a way that seemed rehearsed, because I didn't want to be misinterpreted... sigh. In some way or another, I must have been self-conscious.

But Jasmine's eyes had lit up, dazzled. I noticed her swallow awkwardly before opening her mouth to say something. "U-uhm! Do you mind if I... h-have a look?"

Now more at ease at her interest than embarrassed, I smiled gently. "Go right ahead." I passed her the notepad.

I saw Jasmine's pupils gliding from side to side as she took in my written musings, her eyelids remaining raised. She seemed to be really focused.

"O-oh man...!" She quietly mouthed, her eyes fixed on the page, "Uhm." She followed, seemingly realising that she had said that out loud. She lowered the notepad slightly, keeping a careful grip on it amid the wind. "I'd actually uh, really love to see some of these happen for real. Are you uh... going to?"

I threw my head back and awkwardly stared at the sky.

Now _that_ was a tough question. I liked these ideas, and I wanted people to see them. I wanted to show Erika, I guess...? but I wasn't interested in doing this kind of thing for other people. I just wanted to get the ideas _out_ there.

"I don't think so. I'm hoping someday someone else will be able to inspire people with them though?"

"Then, uhm... Maybe you should show some of these ideas to Will?"

I paused and considered her suggestion. I leaned back into my chair and crossed a leg over the other, resting my chin on my fist. I... wonder.

Jasmine fumbled over the notepad and meekly handed it back. "I, uh... I'm sorry if that was a rude thing to suggest."

Taking the notepad back and placing my pen along it again, I paused for another few moments before shaking my head.

"No, I... actually, I think that's a great idea." I smiled gently.

It actually might have been _perfect_. My issue with Will came from the way he didn't seem to really get Pokémon, yet acted as if he'd reached his potential as a Trainer already. If I showed him these ideas, maybe he'd be both a little humbled _and_ he could use it as a growth opportunity?

They may improve his understanding of Pokémon... _and_ inspire other trainers and psychics out there the way I couldn't. The way an Elite Four member _should_!

Jasmine sat back in her seat and relaxed with a smile. "Ph-phew... but I'm happy! I think if people got to see amazing things like this, it'd really blow their minds!" her excitement built again as she pumped her fists. And then she paused.

Her face reddened slightly as her eyes fixed on something behind us.

"Hey, Jasmine! ... Whoa! _Sabrina_!?"

... Ah. Lorelei's voice. That explained Jasmine's sudden tense expression.

I turned my head to see Lorelei headed towards us, her mouth agape. My own expression admittedly tensed a little when I noticed that Karen was with her.

"Hey, guys." I said, with a relaxed wave but a reserved smile.

"It _is_ you!" Lorelei picked up her pace and came to greet me with a hearty pat on the back. "Arceus, you look _so good_!"

"Thanks. What are you both doing here?"

"Karen just picked me up from Four Island to go shopping together. It's a much more pleasant market than Vermillion, right?"

"I love the hair, Sabrina." Karen grinned warmly at me, in a tone that didn't have even a drip of sarcasm or facetiousness lingering in it. I, of course, couldn't help but wonder if she meant it that way anyway.

Ever the model of self-assuredness and confidence, Lorelei had already gone to fetch a couple of chairs from another table for her and Karen to sit with us. "Hey Jasmine, I really hope you're feeling a little better lately. I was kinda worried."

"H-huh!?" Jasmine clutched at the skirt of her dress as her eyes darted around. "O-oh you too-, uhm, I mean... th-thank you. I'm feeling b-better yeah, thanks." She stared at her legs, practically cross-eyed, and scowled furiously at herself.

I internally winced. Luckily, Lorelei really was a nice person, simply smiling warmly and responding "That's a relief."

Not seeming to have noticed, Karen finally drew her eyes away from my hair-do and walked around to Jasmine. "I'm really happy to finally meet you, Jasmine! I can't believe I've been coming to Olivine all these years without bumping into you!" She held out her hand.

Seemingly relieved that the subject had moved on so quickly, Jasmine returned the handshake with a bashful smile. "A-ah well... you know... u-uhm, it's nice to meet you too, Miss Karen."

With another sweet, genuine smile at Jasmine, Karen sat between myself and Lorelei. Karen raised an eyebrow and smiled at me, and I smiled awkwardly back. Finding it an invitation, she pointed at my outfit and mouthed 'I love this. I love this.' subtly nodding her head as she did so. I couldn't help but blush lightly, before mouthing 'thank you' playfully back.

For a moment, I entertained the worry that I had been seeking Karen's approval for some reason. Thinking on it more though, I realised that Karen's appreciation for my new look was a nice but ultimately fairly minor surprise, especially compared to how happy I was with it myself.

Besides, I still felt a little on-edge around her. Her approval at my image didn't feel like it had taken any weight off my shoulders in terms of the tension I felt there.

Lorelei breathed in deeply, taking in the sea air. "Soo, what've you been up to?" She grinned at me, "It's been a while!"

Remembering I had coffee that was probably getting slightly cold, I plucked it up and took a sip. "I'm looking for creative inspiration, I guess. Do you guys want to order a drink or anything?"

Lorelei shot a look towards Karen, who shook her head. "Nah, I think we'll be out of your hair before too long," Lorelei said, "You working on something creative?"

I handed Lorelei my notepad, "To be honest, the stuff you said last year about a psychic bringing the potential out of Pokémon like Jynx kinda inspired me to think of how things like that could be applied to other Pokémon moves."

She took the notepad and began to check through some of my notes. I noticed her eyes glittering in quiet excitement behind her glasses. "Whoa whoa, look." she said aside to Karen and gestured to one of the ideas, then another one.

I briefly averted my eyes from them, trying to avoid the urge to blush or sigh. Well... if she trusted Karen that much, I guess it wouldn't kill me...

After scanning through a few more pages, the smile on Lorelei's face was looking pretty goofy. She noticed I was looking at her, then closed the book with a loud _*AHEM*_ and passed it back to me. "So... would most of this stuff really work? Could you really do all this with telekinesis and psychic ability?"

"Pretty sure most well-trained psychics would be able to figure it out, yeah. I'm not sure I want to be that person, but it'd be cool if these ideas became reality somehow."

"Th-then you should show someone!" Lorelei said with an excited grin.

"Heheh." I leaned back on my chair, a gentle smile spreading across my face again. "Jasmine suggested exactly that."

"Hohoh?" Lorelei turned to beam at Jasmine, who blushed but smiled herself. "Great minds think alike! Anyone you have in mind?"

"I-I uhm." Jasmine fidgeted slightly with her dress, though I could tell her tension was easing as she felt more like part of the conversation. "I was thinking Will, a-actually..."

I nodded. Lorelei looked from Jasmine, to me, then to Karen, with a surprised but curious raised eyebrow. "Whaddyou think, Karen? Good idea?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea to me." Karen leant back in her chair and crossed her arms with a relaxed smile. "He's always looking for interesting touches to his performances."

That admittedly surprised me. Karen was someone I _really_ couldn't seem to get a read on. Still, I smiled at all three of them and flipped open the notepad to jot a couple of things down. "I've got myself a pretty good jury here, so I might just do that. Thanks."

Of course they thought my ideas were pretty cool. There wasn't really _anything_ else out there like the spectacles I had in mind, which was kind of surprising. I knew psychic abilities weren't exactly common, but still...

"But I'm curious," Karen spoke up again, "Why don't you want to do any of this yourself, Sabrina?"

Tch. Of course she was going to find something to contend. She always did. Was I extra on-guard around her because she really did have something against me? Or was I being unnecessarily cagey around her?

Whatever. I could handle this, I just needed to get used to the way she spoke to people. I stared at my bangle in thought for a moment before responding. "It's... not the kind of thing I'm interested in doing. Besides, even if I could pull these tricks off, I'm not sure I'm much of a performer."

"Huh? You listening to yourself?" Karen sat back in her seat, raising her eyebrows and grinning incredulously.

"Karen I swear to Arceus." Lorelei rolled her eyes, before leaning a little towards Jasmine. "She's always like this." She mumbled loudly to Jasmine with an exasperated expression. Jasmine giggled awkwardly.

Karen leaned forward again, turning to Lorelei and pouting. "No, seriously! It doesn't make sense!" She turned to me again, looking more genuinely confused than snarky despite her frustrating question. "You performed for your girlfriend, on your _anniversary_, like, that sounds like a confident move to me! You wouldn't have done that to begin with if you didn't think you'd be good at it. So, you _say_ you're not much of a performer, but you _must_ have been confident in your ability to make her smile to do something like that."

My eyes darted anxiously down to my notepad. I once again stared at my flickering bracelet as I tried to think of something to say.

Just as I was doing that though, I heard an amused sigh from Lorelei who had started to get up. "Hey Sabrina, just ignore her if she's being a pain, okay? We gotta go anyway." She gave Karen's shoulder a few playful taps while checking the time on her PokéGear.

"Oh. You're all so interesting to hang out with that I almost forgot we had to get to the market quickly..." Karen grinned, sheepishly gripping and rubbing her arm. She dipped to pick up her bag and stood up with Lorelei, before mumbling aside to her. "I wasn't being a pain."

"You kinda were."

"I wasn't!" Karen pouted, leaning into Lorelei and gripping onto her arm. She turned back to Jasmine and me for a moment and gave us a friendly smile. "Good luck with Will, Sabrina. See you guys soon okay? It was cool bumping into you both."

I found the confidence to calmly smile and wave back, figuring Jasmine probably appreciated it. "Likewise. Have a good afternoon you two."

Once they were both out of earshot, or at least too occupied by each other's banter to notice, I let out a very audible sigh and slumped my posture into the seat.

"Are you okay?" Jasmine, also relaxing a little more herself, peered at me with light concern.

I picked my tepid coffee cup from the table and took a few big gulps of it. Then I winced and set it down again. That stuff is intense...

"I'm good yeah, those two just have a tendency to sound really intimidating when they're only being playful." I said with a coffee-induced edge, but I could see Jasmine's expression soften in relief.

Karen had once again managed to get under my skin and make me reconsider if my logic wasn't all backwards... but it wasn't worth dwelling to poor Jasmine about. If I needed to handle it, Erika and I would.

"Anyway thanks for sitting with me for a while." I beamed at her, starting to get up from my seat at the table. "You ready to go? I wanna say hi to Amphy before I head home."

...

"Here, catch." I threw Seedot's Pokéball to Erika when she got home that evening. She caught it in her hands, then looked at it before looking back to me. Her mouth hung agape and her eyebrow was raised in confusion, but after a few moments the Pokéball sprang open and a beam of white light projected Seedot onto the floor beside her.

Erika clasped her hands to her face in delighted surprise, as the light faded and Seedot began to curiously potter about my living area. The little thing didn't seem used to walking on hard floors like this, and she clumsily bumped her head on furniture as she waddled around with growing excitement.

"Ohh! _Arceus_!" Erika squealed, her hands still covering her mouth. She snapped her hands to her front again and carefully approached the little Pokémon, kneeling down beside her. Erika gently extended her arm, nudging and stroking the Pokémon with the side and back of her tender hand, as if tending to a fragile flower.

"Hello, beautiful...! Hello!" She uttered adoringly. The Seedot gazed in fascination at her, and felt herself nudging back comfortably against Erika's hand. The hand of a Trainer who loved and understood Grass Pokémon so beautifully. "May I hold you, sweetie?" Erika shone the warm light of her smile down on the budding Pokémon.

Within moments, she had scooped Seedot up in her arms and the two were smiling in delight together. Erika was admiring and stroking Seedot's features, and Seedot almost appeared to be basking in the warm comfort she offered.

I fell aloof in staring at the two of them with elation, fascination and peace. I loved everything about this... no matter how many times I saw Erika meet a new Grass Pokémon. I don't think it could ever, ever get old.

"Babe," Erika's voice interrupted my trance-like smile, "Earth to Sabrina." She giggled, sitting herself down on the couch and snuggling her body up against mine. "I love you... but where...?"

"I love you too." I giggled, slinking an arm around her back and leaning my head against hers just slightly. "And Viridian Forest."

"Viridian Fo-" Erika muttered with a pout. Her posture slumped a little, though she continued to gently comfort her new Seedot. "Mm."

"It's really beautiful there now," I hummed, leaning and cuddling into her more, "You did a wonderful job, and Pokémon habitats that had never existed in Kanto before have already started forming... it's pretty amazing."

Erika sighed into me and I felt her relax again. She smiled gently down at Seedot and huffed. "I'm sure it is. Just... it reminds me of a time when I really hated myself, is all."

I felt for Erika's upper arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Come with me next time, okay? We'll enjoy it as a couple. You'll make new associations with it, and enjoy the amazing work you've done from a new perspective."

Right on cue, Erika started biting her bottom lip. She stared absentmindedly somewhere between Seedot's little head and her own lap. "Mmmmm_mmmmh_." She groaned playfully. "How was _your_ day, sweetie?" She changed the subject.

I chuckled at her evasive behaviour and reached to grab my notepad from the side table. "You know those notes I've been taking? Well, Jasmine, Lorelei and Karen all think I should show them to Will."

"Karen?" Erika stopped biting her lip and rolled her eyes with a grin. "Did she say something weird to you again?"

"Yeah, but..." A light blush fell onto my cheeks when I remembered that Karen's latest observation was one about the anniversary. Not the time to talk about it. "Whatever she said won't matter at all if I show these to Will, which I think is the right thing to do too. So I think I'm gonna close the Gym again tomorrow to do that."

"Again?" Rather than giving me a disapproving look, she was smirking. She seemed almost excited actually, rising slightly from her sitting position. "You've been taking more and more time off work lately."

I returned her smirk with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I just find this other stuff a lot more fulfilling than battling. Don't worry, my finances are fine and I'm not cutting my employees' pay or anything."

"Let me go with you." Erika's beamed at me, her excitement sprouting, though she still held her basking Seedot delicately. "I want to meet Will properly, and, uhm... well, if you need any backup!"

"N-no!" Pink flushed across my face as I met Erika's excited gaze with confusion. "It's not a big deal, you have work too!"

Erika huffed up her cheek and scowled playfully. "Babe! You do all this interesting creative stuff lately without needing an excuse. I want to hang out with you when you're, like... in the zone!"

The blush on my face intensified slightly as Erika ducked to kiss at my jaw affectionately, then again at my cheek.

Admittedly, even though the idea of Erika being my 'backup' was a little embarrassing, I'd also quite happily do pretty much anything with her.

I did find myself wishing that we could just... go places as a couple more. On whims. Without being tied down by obligations like work, and... and she was still kissing and nuzzling my jaw and playfully groaning.

"F-fine!" I yelped in protest to her relentless affections. "But! We'll make a deal. If you come with me on my potentially awkward business venture, you should also come with me to relax in Viridian Forest sometime." I turned to nuzzle her ear and peck the side of her head back.

The basking Seedot seemed to hear what I said, and adorably wiggled about her arms with excitement. Bingo.

Picking up on a combination of my flustered motivation and Seedot's own innocent anticipation, Erika was far too excited herself to be bothered by the idea anymore. "Deal! It's a date!"

* * *

**x**

* * *

**_(Notes: Another really nice chapter. I've been pretty happy with all of them lately, and this one is another that focuses on relateable feelings. Healing from negative associations has become a bit of a recurring theme and it's something I and a lot of my friends have been through._**

**_In particular though, Sabrina suddenly realising she got a rush from creative ideas and being more and more excited to do more of it is something I experienced myself a few years ago. Deciding to start taking notes instead of letting herself forget the ideas she got is one of my favourite pieces of advice for writers! It doesn't sound like a bit deal, it sure didn't when I first heard it, but it really does help so much._**

**_Anyway, I just really like how I wrote a lot of this. I put more effort into the narration flowing well between dialogue, so I hope it's pleasant to read. The little bit at the end where Erika babies her new Seedot makes me feel really fluffy._**

**_I'm guessing some of you guys have been playing Pokémon Masters? It makes me so happy seeing everyone ;v; I can't wait for Sabrina to be added. Only a few chapters left to go, see you all in two weeks!)_**


	14. (Tensions)

**x**

* * *

Will's house was a large, traditional-looking building in the northern district of Ecruteak City. Let's just say... it was in the part of the city where it was pretty difficult to get on the property ladder.

I couldn't say it didn't suit him, though. For a man who had supposedly travelled the world, his traditional Japanese house had been adorned with all sorts of interesting foreign knick-knacks. Extravagant but cheap-looking paintings lined the hallways, curious objects upon desks and mantelpieces organised as if the arrangements themselves were the artworks, harmoniously mingling together despite their myriad countries of origin.

It was a little ironic. His performances with Pokémon lacked the harmony he so clearly liked to put into appearances. Well, he was still young too, I supposed.

"Sabrina." Erika whispered conspicuously to me.

I turned my attention briefly from Will, who was giving us a little show-around. Erika was stood next to a weird beige-coloured statue of a head with a large, smooth apex and notably carved-out eyes, nostrils and grin.

She held her hands in front of her and brought them higher, then out, then around back to their starting positions. "Alola~!" She chanted playfully.

Cute... cute... I giggled, but gestured my head towards Will to keep our attention on him. It was difficult to feel playful or relaxed in a place that felt almost like a showy museum of strange souvenirs.

"And here, my study!" Will dipped his head proudly and stood to the side, gesturing towards a couple of chairs. "Please, sit wherever you like and we can discuss... well, 'business', did you say?"

"Something like that." I smiled sheepishly, making my way over to a chair close to Will's desk. "Thank you. Like I said, I really just wanted to show you something I've been working on."

Will smiled stiffly, and shuffled round to sit at his study desk. He had been a little awkward since we got here, actually.

It was hardly surprising; the last time we had seen one-another, I snapped at him and he got knocked into a concussion. If I had to guess, the little tour of his house was his weird attempt at an ice-breaker? He didn't exactly look happy to see me, and he hadn't really had much to say about any of it. I mean, it _was_ all just mostly-tacky souvenirs. It wasn't like he collected artworks or anything.

Still, any passion starts somewhere, right?

"Right." Will leaned on his desk, clasping his hands together. I sensed he was peering at me, but it was always difficult to tell what exactly his eyes were doing behind that mask. "What is it you would like to discuss?"

Sitting next to me, Erika spoke first. "Actually, uhm. I hope you don't mind my asking, but I've been a little worried... how are your injuries?" She smiled kindly.

She had a way with people, as always... As much as she wanted to claim her 'perfect' persona was just an act, her care for others was so true and genuine that it made her very easy to like no matter who you were.

Even those who felt an urge, for whatever reason, to doubt her sincerity? Always found themselves undermined by just how earnest her kindness was. To me, I think this was the _real_ reason she was a social Butterfree.

Anyway. I love my girlfriend.

"Ah, that?" He pointed to the back of his head with a tired smile, before returning to his previous position. "As good as new, I think. Psychic abilities haven't gotten any more difficult to handle, which is as good a sign as any that everything's healed up smoothly." He chuckled calmly, then nodded. "I've returned to full-time work at the Elite Four but am home today to relax with a colleague. Thank you, though."

"What a relief!" Erika held a hand to her chest as the anxiousness around her heart loosened. "Well then, he's all yours sweetie." She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and I put on a smile as I got out my notepad.

"Thanks, Erika. I won't take too much of your time, Will. I just saw your show recently and came up with some ideas I thought you could use in performance."

Again I felt Will's eyes on me, despite not being able to see them. I hadn't spent much time around psychics of his skill level before, so it really was difficult to tell if this pressure in my head was due to the mingling subconscious of our telepathy, or if it was just the typical tension felt by a pair of young adults who simply weren't very fond of one another.

I had... somewhat rehearsed what I wanted to say. Despite the tension, I could at the very least _act_ when I needed to. I imagined he was doing something similar.

"In short, a series of spectacles inspired by the idea of harmony between human psychics and Pokémon psychics." Scanning my eyes over my notes and finding the pages I had best summarised my plans and ideas, I stood from my chair and pressed the notepad to his desk, pushing it towards him. "Have a look, and tell me what you think?"

"Let's see..." Will politely pulled the notepad towards him, plucking out a set of reading glasses and putting them on.

_Over_ his mask. Surreal.

I watched his eyebrows furrow as he read through my notes and diagrams with evident intrigue. He wore a courteous smile, but the longer he peered the more forced the smile seemed.

Wondering if it was rude to stare at him in the way I was, I sought the safety of gazing at Erika instead. She was looking at him too, but was biting her lip through a similar, forced smile. Oh dear.

I may be a psychic, but Erika's talent for reading body language was still more impressive overall.

Looking back to Will, the hand he cupped his chin with edged up the side of his head as he leaned on it. His straight and sturdy posture slightly faltered, his back slowly arching, his shadow increasingly engulfing the notepad. It was so subtle that I may not have even noticed if I wasn't looking for it, but his composed and piqued study of the notepad was now hunched, and... well, agitated.

The more I watched Will's expression the more evident it became that he... wasn't happy. I even noticed a subtle pink building on his face and- yeah, okay, even his genteel smile twitched.

But... why?

With a snappy tap-tap on the table with his right hand's index and middle fingers, Will's reading glasses sailed from his nose back into their case, and he sat up straight again. His right hand was trembling so slightly that the average person likely would not have noticed, but I imagined that was why he didn't take the glasses off physically.

"So... what did you think?" I asked, as politely as I could muster.

"I think you... are mocking me." Will pushed the notepad back across the desk, plainly struggling to keep his demeanour. It was very _very_ strange for someone as prestigious as him to be so outwardly worked up. It was clear that it didn't happen very often.

"I-... I don't understand. These are ideas that could-"

"These are ideas that _specifically_ seek to call into question my Pokémon handling methodology and espouse your own as superior. That much is clear as day."

My mouth hung open, I stared in disbelief. How had he missed the point to such a cartoonishly unreasonable extent?

"I assure you that's not the case," I put on a calm expression and made myself relax back in the chair, "I just figured since you perform regularly and I don't anymore, you could use some of these ideas to enrich-"

"No need to say it, I know you have issues with me." Will rose from his chair, clasping his hands to the desk. "You have ever since Cinnabar last year, haven't you? You suddenly came along and treated my worldly Pokémon experiences as ignorant, and now you have the _gall_ to come in here, as a psychic who _only battles_, to once again tell me that _my_ understanding of Pokémon is _inadequate_!?"

"_Hey_!" Erika, who had been quietly bristling up next to me this whole time, rose to a stand. "Don't speak as if you know her! She just wanted to share the way she loves Pokémon with you, someone who's passionate about theatre!"

"This doesn't concern you, Lady Erika." Will waved his hand dismissively, his tone gradually rising and becoming more belligerent. "But even you must see how petty this is. It was not enough for her to chastise my handling of Pokémon in a dangerous life-or-death situation, but now she has grown so fed up of me taking the spotlight _away_ from her that she aims to lambaste me in my own profession as well!"

Erika was gripping onto my hand tightly, and I could feel her quivering with muted anger. Similarly to that time with Clair... she really, really hated when people were unreasonable towards me.

Just knowing that helped me to keep my own cool, though. I appreciated her feelings, but I didn't want things to get worse.

This just... wasn't going to work.

I confidently squeezed Erika's hand in reassurance, then got up.

"I regret that you've so significantly misunderstood my intentions, but I think we should go."

"I think you should, yes. I trust you remember your way out."

Will looked down at his desk and slumped to a sit again, his purple hair flopped over obscuring his mask as he stiffly gestured to the door behind us.

Erika gave a very quick bow, then assertively pulled me from the room by my hand.

The moment we stepped into the hallway, the study door slammed shut behind us without a hand touching it.

"_Aaaaghhh!_" Erika let go of my hand and clenched her fists, not bothering to hold back on her scream of frustration. "Sorry! I'm sorry for screaming like that I just! **_UUGH_**!" she span around to me, her face red with frustration and her eyes a little damp.

"Come on, it's okay." I felt for her hand again and smiled at her. "Let's go to Olivine for now."

"How dare he? How _dare_ he!" Erika barely whispered, her voice a little choked. "Why are people such... such _assholes_ to you!? He didn't even _try_ to understand you! _Screw_ him!" Her clammy hand tightened around mine as she bit her trembling lip.

She was getting so angry on my behalf that I didn't feel the need to. I just... I didn't want her to be so heavily affected by this.

"Erika..." I squeezed her hand again, "It's his loss, okay? I don't need him to understand me, I have you."

I had been so distracted by Erika's vexation that I had scarcely even noticed the strange feeling of pressure that had been following us down the hall - one that rapidly became _really_ evident in the following moments.

"She's right," the pressuring presence suddenly spoke, "Don't let that big baby get to you, okay?"

My heart palpitated, and almost as if mirroring my shock Erika spun around on the spot. "Karen!" Erika breathed in sharply, her hand on her chest. "Don't _do_ that! You scared us half to death!"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm really sorry." Karen pressed her hands together and winked in apology. "I'm not the best at starting conversations when Lorelei isn't around, I have a bad habit of watching and sneaking."

Well, that explained the feeling of pressure, at least. Being around Karen felt uncannily like being around Dark Type Pokémon.

I sighed lightly and turned to her myself, wrapping a reassuring arm around poor shaken Erika's waist. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Eavesdropping, I guess," Karen admitted without a drop of shame, "I actually came here to hang with Will today, but he rudely didn't even tell you guys I was here. So it was pretty evident to me that he had no intention of being hospitable or making pleasantries."

Was Karen the 'colleague' Will was talking about? What a standoffish way to refer to a friend.

... Kind of reminded me of how I used to refer to Alakazam.

"So you eavesdropped?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Can't help it." Karen threw her hands up defensively. She gestured us to follow her, and led us through the halls to the front door of the house. "I was in the next room over and I already knew Will wasn't a big fan of yours, so I was curious. One thing led to another, Will shouted, Erika shouted, it was all really interesting stuff."

Erika wrapped both her arms around one of mine and leaned into me protectively as we walked. "You knew he didn't like her all this time, and you _still_ suggested Sabrina show him her ideas?"

"It's not like I was trying to start a fight." Karen looked back at us with an innocent pout. "He's been weirdly bitter about you ever since Cinnabar last year, so I just... I wanted to prod something along. Cause some movement."

"Y-you..." Erika scowled at her, holding me tighter.

I couldn't help but feel amused though - even if Karen _had_ manipulated me a little, she had done it to push Will's buttons... and he was her friend. Something about that was far less frustrating than the way she involved me.

Karen stopped by the front door before opening it and turned to us. "Look!" She clasped her hands together in playful pleading. "Hear me out, okay? There's a lovely coffee place downtown, I'll treat you both."

Erika shot me a doubtful glance, but the steadfast curiosity of my own expression must have been enough to convince her it wasn't a bad idea.

...

I really was more of a tea person, and Erika definitely was. The way Karen confidently indulged in such strong coffee was just icing on the contrast cake.

Still, I was starting to see the appeal. At least in coffee that was a little sweeter and more balanced.

"See? Way easier to talk here. The walls of that house don't actually have ears, but Will's probably feeling a little paranoid today. Especially after I ditched him to come hang out with you guys instead."

"Lorelei is going to nag your ears off later." I said, almost surprised at how calm my response was.

"That she is!" Karen laughed and relaxed back in her chair, throwing one leg over the other. "Whatever, I have it coming for my bad manners so I'll apologise to them later. It's just been frustrating to see Will aiming so much misplaced jealousy towards you since Cinnabar, I wanted to see if I could snap him out of it and confirm a few of my own suspicions."

... Hang on. "What?" I said. Was I hearing that right?

"Jealousy?" Erika finished my thought, sipping a sweet strawberry milkshake through a straw.

"Yyup." Karen rolled her eyes and sipped at her coffee. "He built you up to be this arrogant Pokémon know-it-all, and it actually kinda scared him. I think his failures that night, his fears that he could fail again and cause people or Pokémon to hurt, just manifested into this really unhealthy fixation on you."

I stared in my coffee cup in quiet disbelief. Myself and Will avoiding each other since that day probably hadn't been good for either of us, huh...

"You really are something of a people-watcher, aren't you?" Erika, finally calming down herself, stared curiously at Karen.

"Never denied it." Karen remained relaxed. "All that aside, I _know_ him, and I know when he's being unreasonable or flighty. That was him today. There was nothing wrong with your attitude or your ideas, he just felt his pride was threatened by this version of you that he had built up in his head. Scared that you intended to tell the world that he had _failed_."

"And you prodded this to confirm this suspicion of yours?" I remained transfixed on her.

"Oh nah, that wasn't my suspicion, I had no doubts about his insecurities." Karen waved her hand dismissively and set her coffee cup down on its saucer. She then leaned in towards the table and fixed her eyes on mine, "My suspicion was about _you_. That _you_ really are a different person to the way you've presented yourself all these years."

"I don't mean to be rude," Erika raised an eyebrow, practically scoffing with vindication, "But isn't that _obvious_? _**You've**_ been misunderstanding her _all this time_, and you owe her an apology."

Once again surprised at Erika's moxie, I widened my eyes to gaze at her in awe, my hands clasped on my cup.

Karen simply laughed though, "Mhm, exactly!" She waved apologetically. "I really am sorry, Sabrina. I misread you as a ruthless Trainer who cared only about winning battles with strong Pokémon, and I kept pushing your buttons because that didn't feel like it added up."

"The real Sabrina was _right_ _there_ though. She literally told you how she felt, while you toyed with the meanings behind her anxious words so pretentiously!" Erika continued to put the pressure on Karen.

"I know, I know. I'm apologising." Karen continued to wave, evidently still in a good mood despite being unaccustomed to being pushed like this. "I know now that Sabrina isn't this ruthless Trainer who only cares about strength, I was wrong about that. She truly loves Pokémon, she just hasn't yet figured out how to make that part of her life and that makes her evasive."

"Do you have a single good manner in your body?!" Erika scowled again, staring a sassy Karen directly in the eyes.

"Hey, it's okay." I finally set my own cup down again and squeezed Erika's shoulder. "I finally understand what she was trying to do, too. I'm just not sure I appreciate it."

Karen planted both her feet on the ground again. "Look. I know I need to be more straightforward and less shady, I _am_ sorry. Just... listen to me." Her grin finally softened, and she earnestly looked me in the eyes. "I like how gutsy you are, Sabrina. I like you in general. I'm _happy_ you tried to get Will to look at performance in a new way, but the fact he turned you down only makes me want even more badly for _you_ to perform those spectacles instead."

I blinked, then ran her words through my head again to make sure I heard right.

"You... _want_ me to perform?"

"If I keep trying to put words into people's mouths and manipulate their growth or whatever, Lorelei will probably never fully relax around me." Karen pouted wistfully, scratching the side of her head. "And... she kinda has a point, making other people uncomfortable is no way to live. So yes, I've always wanted you to perform, and I've been acting on this hunch that you do, too."

"I can tell you think I want to, which is what I don't appreciate." I stared her back. "I hate being commodified. I hate my abilities being entertainment, I hate that I was raised to look cool for people while being told that what _I_ was feeling didn't matter."

"So you push back against that, thinking it liberates you, even if it means continuing to ignore your own feelings." Karen heaved her shoulder with a sheepish smile. "But performance doesn't have to be showing off your psychic abilities like an exhibition. Your performance for Erika last year, your notepad... to me they're both evidence of a person who wonders if her psychic abilities could become her ultimate form of creative expression.

Not expression for your family, or for society, or Will, or whatever! An exhilarating expression of the beauty _you_ see in the world, that you so clearly want to be able to show others. Doesn't it cease to be a commodification then? Doesn't that make it _yours_?"

Erika was no longer staring at Karen, instead carefully watching me as I stared wistfully into my cup. Karen cleaned off her cup of coffee and started to collect her things. "You good? Did I say something wrong again?" She smiled awkwardly.

I paused in thought for a few moments, before blinking in surprise at her showing of self-aware sincerity. "N-no. I just... you always give me a lot to think about."

"Sabrina..." Erika shuffled her chair a little towards mine and clasped her hands to my shoulder.

"Phew! I'm relieved." Karen beamed, though her smile quickly calmed into a more gentle one again. "Anyway... I'm sorry I've been a weirdo, but I really do like both of you, and I think being friends would be great." She stood next to my chair and held her hand out. "Maybe I think I'm doing this for you guys. Maybe I selfishly want you to serve my prideful friend Will a slice of humble pie, or maybe I just really wanna see you perform myself. The ultimate creative expression of a person and their love for Pokémon... is the kind of inspiration I wish there was more of in the world."

I... I couldn't believe I was actually contemplating this.

I held out my hand to shake hers, and unlike last time it was warm and genuine. Karen... really was someone who found fascination and inspiration in the ways people loved their favourite Pokémon. I no longer had any doubt that this was the kind of person she was.

"Th-...thank you." I couldn't help but respond.

"Even if you're being genuine," Erika hummed, staring up at Karen and giving her another handshake herself, "I won't let Sabrina force herself to do anything she really doesn't want to do."

"Good, that's how it should be. If I'm wrong again, I'll just have to apologise again." Karen smiled sheepishly at the both of us, throwing her handbag over her shoulder with a flick of her long, silver-blue hair. "For now though, I should go back to Will's place and apologise for ditching him."

As Karen began to head back, she briefly turned back to us. "You two make an impressive duo, by the way, I'm really jealous. I wish I had nearly that level of synergy with Lorelei."

I turned towards Karen in my chair, and smiled sheepishly. "Just... keep being more honest. Don't play games with peoples' hearts, it isn't worth it. Maybe once you do that..."

I caught Erika's gaze out the corner of my eyes, and we smiled dotingly at one another for a moment.

Karen smiled warmly back at us before turning back up the road. "I'll give it a try." She giggled, with a relaxed wave of the back of her hand.

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(notes: I really really like this chapter. I'm super proud of it.**_

_**It's one of those chapters where it feels like everything's coming together. Will hasn't appeared much in the story but his tension with Sabrina was set up early on, and they both ended up being less than fond of each other due to their encounter on Cinnabar Island.**_

_**Karen, on the other hand, has appeared more towards the end of the story, but I think her role in this chapter is one of her best, and hopefully what makes her tick is a little more obvious now.**_

_**Both Will and Karen serve as wonderful foils to Sabrina throughout this story; Will as another psychic with an outlook that Sabrina can't help but recognise as bits of herself that she left behind, while Karen is someone whose very nature and personality is something that makes Sabrina anxious. Not because she's unpleasant... she's just a little eccentric in a way Sabrina isn't used to.**_

_**Writing Karen has been absolutely tons of fun. The moment I introduced her, I wished I could have done so much earlier. I'd say that out of almost every character across this whole story, Karen has easily been one of the most entertaining to write.**_

_**She's a pretty underrated and sometimes forgotten character, so I hope some of the Karen fans out there get some enjoyment out of my unique portrayal of her. I'd love to write more of her someday.**_

_**Sabrina once again has more things to think about, and the conclusion of her character arc is beginning to take shape...**_

_**See you all again in two weeks, when the final arc of the story begins!)**_


	15. (Change)

**x**

* * *

After a few months of notes, practice, and experimentation, I was far too deep in planning my very own stage show to doubt Karen's intentions any longer. That's right! My _own_ stage show!

At least, the makings of one. Nothing had been set in stone or scheduled, but the Kimono Girls and a few friends knew that I was now actively entertaining the idea, working on it in my spare time as a sort of pet project.

At first the thought that Karen had manipulated me into dropping my long-held resentment for stardom and performance _infuriated_ me. Had I been suckered right back into commodifying my abilities for entertainment, the way my family did? Had I finally severed the chains of celebrity, only to be ensnared again?

To be honest, I wasn't actually sure _what_ the answer was anymore, but the longer I did this the more I hoped it would help me find out.

Here's what I _did_ know for sure.

First: I still didn't like battling very much. I still preferred to spend my time with friends, with Pokémon, contemplating the mystique of nature.

Second, and perhaps more tellingly: I was thoroughly, _thoroughly_ enjoying this road so far.

Even though it was of my own creation, using telekinesis and telepathy to create spectacles that played with the beauty of natural phenomena in new and unexpected ways was nothing short of breathtaking. Myself and Erika found ourselves gasping and gawking in sync during my practise sessions.

It was difficult not to feel fulfilled, it was difficult not to feel _excited_. It was difficult not to remember those hints of exhilaration I felt on stage last year, as I considered the possibility that I could show the world even more beautiful things about psychic powers and Pokémon - together.

Did those feelings of excitement, that longing to recapture that exhilarating creativity, make these expressions of the world _mine_? Was I capable of walking right back into inevitable celebrity life without losing the individualism I had come to cherish so, so resolutely?

Well, I guess I'd find out! Because so far, I had no real urge to stop.

And the world wasn't waiting for me to explore this new path, either. No longer living my life in relation to others, a whole bunch of stuff happened while I was getting deeper and deeper into my side-project.

Something I had completely missed was the instatement of Walker's son, Falkner, as the new Violet City Gym Leader. Walker had, thankfully, recovered from the worst of his injuries, but he still saw fit to retire from his role and pass it down to his son.

Apparently this had happened soon after the turn of the year, once the boy's training had been completed, but I only just found out when Janine told us about it towards the end of Spring. Apparently Whitney had been too worried about Jasmine to let any of us know.

Janine and Falkner had something of a petty rivalry passed down from that of their arrogant fathers, but when it came down to it Janine looked out for the younger boy.

For those of us in Kanto though, news that even Viridian Gym had finally found its new Gym Leader spread quickly, like leaves on the wind.

Affirming _two years_ of rumours, Blue Oak had finally wrested control of the Gym from the local government. While Viridian officials had been hesitant to let anyone run it at all anymore, Blue himself was the one who pulled through and started making the effort to reform its image.

He did so seemingly determined to accomplish it on his own terms, without his relation to his grandfather influencing the decision.

To begin with, Blue had been heavily working on his _own_ image since Cinnabar last year. We didn't see him around much, but supposedly he'd been doing research between Viridian City and Cinnabar Island to help the city to restore its basic services.

All this, on _top_ of exploring the routes west of Cianwood City to search for a new location for the Safari Zone.

Hardheaded and reckless though the boy still was, not a single one of us could doubt his drive to help others any longer.

So when the announcement came in that Blue had successfully become Gym Leader, all of Kanto's Gym Leaders celebrated together.

Well, _mostly_ celebrated. Erika gave him a very stern talk about the dangers of overworking and taking on too much work for yourself. Heheh.

We really were all happy for him, though.

Let's see, what else... Jasmine was visiting us more often and was a little happier, but was still very worried about Amphy's health. Whitney's Miltank had learnt Rollout and she was becoming more and more arrogant in her battle skill because of it. Misty had just gotten dumped by her latest girlfriend but was already eyeing up another boy. Brock had been showing off his new fossil Pokémon as well as this weird Diglett with uh... blonde hair?

Karen was now apparently the top-ranking member of the Elite Four, overtaking the veteran Bruno, once again proving herself to be as unstoppable as she was scary.

... To people who didn't know her, that is.

Meanwhile, Lorelei was still unemployed. Happy though, at least!

Anyway, it was all sort of humbling. Mine and Erika's lives had been such a roller-coaster of change ever since we reconnected almost three years ago, but everything else was changing too. Nothing felt stagnant, everything was in flux. Everyone was discovering themselves, taking on new things, leaving the old behind.

Being in a network of Gym Leaders like this made it feel almost like we were an awkward extended family, growing up and changing together. This also meant things wouldn't be the same forever... someday, more of us would quit or move onto different things.

For now, though? I was proud of us all.

...

Well, for all my reservations about re-approaching the celebrity life, it ended up re-approaching me instead. Always the way with paparazzi, I guess; I found my new image increasingly subject to various attentions in a way I hadn't experienced since I first became a Gym Leader.

And while my attitude towards the media hadn't exactly done a 180, I did end up accepting a few odd interviews and fashion shoots.

Laying the groundwork for the possibility of making a stage comeback... maybe.

Plus... I kind of liked the idea of completely washing away my old image with something warmer and more positive. It would be a lot more difficult for people to always consider me a 'cold psychic queen' if I capitalised on promotions that emphasised this new, more relaxed me.

So I did that, and I rejected anything that attempted to cash in on the nostalgia of my old look - for the time being, at least. It wasn't like they could make me; I wanted to be in control of my image now.

As spring started to turn to summer, my new warmer vibe even attracted attention from overseas. It had been quite some since I had been scouted by Kalos and Unova fashion labels for promotion, so the fact that was happening was a pretty good sign that my 'in with the old out with the new' approach was proving to be a hit.

I had just finished closing up the Gym after a workday, and was about to get ready to visit Goldenrod City for an interview with some Kalosian fashion company.

It was my fourth work day of the week, which was actually quite a lot by recent standards. I had been closing the Gym more regularly to pursue my side-projects, and there were many weeks where I only opened twice or thrice.

I had, of course, not been docking my employees' pay or anything, and I was still helping them train as well as spending time with them after work.

But... hm.

On this particular afternoon, I couldn't help but wonder if having a boss who worked so erratically was bad for employee morale.

Amanda stood before me in my battle room, an official-looking document in her outstretched hand. She had waited for everyone else to leave before giving this to me... and I knew what it was.

"My resignation slip." Amanda clarified, a quiet wistfulness in her assertive tone.

I hesitated for just a moment, before nodding and taking the slip from her. "I see..." I smiled pensively.

I made my way through to the office portion of the room to file the paper away. I would handle that later, I supposed. "And your reason for resignation?" I asked as I made my way back.

"I-it's..." Amanda sighed deeply, following my movement across the room with her eyes. She had been here for so many years, any rehearsed resignation was probably still going to be difficult. "It's nothing personal, or anything like that! I-I've just... I want to move on."

She stared at the floor awkwardly. I could tell she had things on her mind... and admittedly, if she just left things like this, it would have left a bad taste in my mouth too.

"Let's go for a drink, okay?" I tried to give her my most reassuring smile, "It's on me."

...

Saffron was a very metropolitan city, much more so than Celadon City was nowadays. On a Friday evening, all the bars quickly filled up with people spilling out after a week of hard work - and that made the cafés all the more pleasant in comparison.

"I'm not a minor anymore, you know." Amanda bantered awkwardly, as I sat us down at a table with some glasses of juice.

I smiled back, passing her a glass. "It's nice and quiet here." I explained.

Busy bars and stuff didn't feel like the right place to have a personal conversation of any kind. Plus, they were a little annoying.

... It really _was_ quiet, though. Even though I had invited Amanda here to talk, we sat in a long, difficult silence, beginning to sip at our drinks. I darted her a look every now and then, but she kept her eyes glued to the table. I was sure she wanted to say something, but...

Well, I guess I could try to drum up some conversation myself.

"You'd been working for me for quite a long time, huh." I said, smiling gently at her. "No one wants to be stuck at the same job forever."

Her eyes edged to meet mine. She forced a little huff of laughter, followed by an unsure smile.

... But it was short-lived, and another few minutes of silence followed.

For the past half a year, I hadn't been sure what exactly to think of Amanda. She'd worked for me since soon after I took over the Gym, longer than _any_ other employee ever had, but this heavy tension...

At first, I wondered if it was just my imagination following that heated conversation last year, but that tension lingered. It definitely wasn't just me.

My glass of juice was already over halfway empty, but her own glass had barely been touched. She clasped her hands around it and fiddled. Finally though, after a few more minutes, she sighed loudly to herself.

"'I don't enjoy battling'." She said.

My eyes flickered towards her curiously, "Mm?"

Amanda kept her hands around her glass, her fingers a little pink from the chill of the cool juice. She picked it up for another small sip, before setting it down and letting go, leaning a hand on the table instead.

"As a Gym Leader, you've always said that. 'I don't enjoy battling', I mean. But it's only recently that I've really started to believe you." She continued through a feeble, nostalgic smile, "You close the Gym more and more often, it's obvious that you're finding more passions elsewhere, but..."

She sighed again, but finally found the courage to look me in the eyes. "I... I love battling. More and more every day. I-I know I said it was your shows that inspired me to be a psychic, but the thrill of connection I feel with my Pokémon in battle is-...!" Amanda paused, finding her tone becoming more excited. She smiled to herself.

"... I feel like I could accomplish incredible things as a Trainer, so I want to train at Victory Road. I mean, I became an Ace Trainer and everything already! But even _Stacy_ quit and moved on from your Gym quicker than I could..."

"You don't have to worry about explaining yourself." I smiled gently, still trying to be a better boss than I was last year. "People all change, we all need to do new things sometimes. I've never wanted any of you to feel like you're obliged to stay, especially when things have gotten so... haphazard."

I felt Amanda's posture relax, and she smiled more easily. All this time I was worrying that she resented me for being such a weird boss over the past... forever. But I was starting to think she was also worried _I_ resented _her_.

"You know, Jared is definitely right about one thing." Amanda chuckled to herself. "When I really looked, I started to see the beauty of your battling. I seriously think you have Elite Four potential... maybe that'd help you discover a passion for battling?"

"I'll pass... for now." I winked through a faux-confident smile. "Maybe I'll never find that thrill of battle that drives some people... or maybe I will, years from now. Maybe years from now you'll be driven towards theatre again yourself, you never know!"

"So is it true, then?" Amanda subconsciously shuffled her chair towards mine, struggling to keep a childlike sparkles from her eyes. "Are you... uh," Her face reddened slightly, "There's this rumour that you really are planning a new show, and-..."

"Rumours spread quickly, huh." I smiled sheepishly back at her, before absentmindedly twirling my drink around in its glass. "To be truthful, I... I don't know, yet."

"If you don't like battling, is performance your real passion after all?"

"I wouldn't go that far." I raised an apprehensive eyebrow. "At most I'm just trying new things, like you want to."

Realising how forward her question was, a blush spread across Amanda's cheeks and she gripped her glass again. "I-I see... heheh." she mumbled, but couldn't keep a shy smile from her mouth. "Since I'm quitting and all, I may as well say what's on my mind. It's been... weird. Getting to know you more recently, has been really, really weird."

"Disappointed in the real thing?" I joked, though there was definitely a hint of self-doubt in my words.

"N-no!" Amanda's eyes darted awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean that in a bad way at all."

"It's fine, I was kidding." I smiled sweetly at her.

She relaxed again, and took a bigger sip of her juice before looking me in the eyes again more easily. "This is exactly why it's weird. _This_. I've always looked _up_ to you, ever since I was a kid... but now, I'm like... getting to _know_ you? Even when I started working for you, I was always looking at you from a distance... like I did when I first saw your shows, right? But then..."

"Yeah... that makes sense." I nodded, still smiling calmly.

I still had trouble looking at myself the way I saw others, but... Amanda was getting to know me, the person, after having a certain image of me the celebrity in her head for so long. It was like how my image of Erika changed after she started opening up to me... there had always been a lot more to her than the perfect side she showed to the world. There had always been a human side to the romanticised image of her in my head.

The tension in Amanda's body-language continued to ease. "Yeah, you were no longer at a distance. I'd always looked up to you, always... but I started to realise that hey, you're not actually much older than me. And you're like... you're still looking for yourself too, right?"

"You can say that again." I giggled. Amanda giggled back, smiling more genuinely. A twinge of doubt lingered though... after hearing she 'looked up' to me.

I still couldn't believe she ever did, but if she _did_... did this mean she... didn't, anymore?

After a few moments, I continued, "So... is this why you...?"

Amanda rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, then shook her head calmly. "No... well, kinda? It's more like, uh... I was frustrated that the person you were in my head had never really matched who you were... and then you started changing more actively. At first I was resentful... but I think that was because I was tired of staying the same, myself. Tired of trying to find meaning in being a Channeler, and even becoming an Ace Trainer wasn't enough, you know?"

"I actually totally understand, yeah." but I had to admit that the way she worded it set my heart at ease a little. It wasn't that I wanted to live up to some arbitrary expectation... but I didn't want to disappoint her. I still really wanted to be... a good boss. A good role model.

If she really was 'inspired' by me, then I... didn't want to... let her down...? Ugh... I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I was so hesitant to allow myself to.

"T-to be honest..." Amanda interrupted the silence again, "Part of me was fascinated. Like I said, it was weird... I've wanted to quit for like, a year now. But seeing everything changing, I kept finding reasons to stay just one more week to see if I'd find my answers in the Gym. From Jared... from Stacy... from you?"

Her smile lingered, but a melancholy glazed over her eyes. "In the end... I'm kinda happy that I stuck around, at least until I understood you a little better. Even though it made me wish even more that you could see how much you've impacted us all."

"Th-thanks." I shyly sipped at my juice, which was starting to run out. It was a convenient way to pretend I wasn't blushing. "If you've been planning to quit all this time, I would have found out if I'd read your mind back then, you know." I smiled weakly, supposing now would be a good time to clear the tension on the mind reading thing again too.

The wistful smile on Amanda's face slipped away, and she looked at me with a familiar, sternly concerned expression.

The same look she gave Jared on that day last year.

"I didn't care." She said. "In That moment, back then... all I could think about was how frustrating it was that you couldn't see yourself the way I always have. That you somehow couldn't see how brightly you've always shone for _all_ of us."

My drink was gone, and it was difficult for me to avoid keeping my eyes locked with Amanda any longer.

The way she looked at me was so earnest, but I-... "I'm sorry." I apologised again, like I did to her before. Almost like a reflex. My eyes lidded.

"That day took me by surprise," Amanda smiled, "I've thought about it a lot since then, and I'm not mad anymore, but I still want you to know. Call me selfish all you want, but I'd feel deep regret if I left the Gym without you ever believing, even just a little, how much you've inspired me. How much you changed my life."

Her eyes were fixed on mine as she spoke, unflinching. I avoided the urge to roll my eyes, to escape, to deflect this somehow. Despite everything, she had put herself in a vulnerable position to me once again. Did she not have concerns that I disliked her? That I could hurt her again? Why was she being so stubborn about this?

"If you're uncomfortable, I understand." Amanda nodded slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on mine. "But I'd really rather you be honest about that, as, like..."

"As an equal," I nodded back, "I'm the last person you should feel the need to put yourself down around."

"You're doing it again!" She balked, her eyes widening in disbelief, "Yes, an _equal_, but you always season it with a little self-loathing. You just won't let yourself be seen as important, will you?"

My eyes darted about inelegantly - Arceus, this was embarrassing. But I needed to stop seeing Amanda as an employee anyway.

"All right," I said, trying to sigh away the blush on my face, "It's true that I'm uncomfortable with reading minds in general, but I'm especially hesitant to do it to people with potentially strong thoughts on me. I fear I'll find out that they... see me in a way that they really shouldn't."

"Like that they think you're awesome? I want to prove you wrong." Amanda smiled sheepishly, a sweet, anxious earnestness in her eyes. "You _deserve_ to be proven wrong, Sabrina... but if you're truly uncomfortable, then..."

"No." I shook my head, "This is important to you. We all deserve to be selfish from time to time... I don't want you to have any regrets, and maybe it'll be good for me to face the truth myself. I'm ready."

An exuberant shimmer in Amanda's eyes shone brighter than any expression a performer could wear. I could feel her heart racing and her blood bubbling... there was no way she was messing with me. I had to believe that.

Amanda turned her chair to face mine, and I did likewise. The café around us was quiet, with scarcely any activity save for the clutter of the kitchens. The orange glow of late-spring's setting sun beamed gently through the windows.

I held both my hands out, my palms outstretched towards Amanda's head, and Amanda held both her hands out near her lower-torso in meditation. We both took deep breaths. I witnessed the calm, steady pulse of my glowing bangles.

I had read minds before, of course. I was good at it, even though I preferred not to.

Reading the mind of another psychic though? It was a different phenomenon entirely.

Most experienced and educated psychics knew the theory and had likely experienced it in practice, so of course Amanda knew how to mind-read as well. This meant that while I accessed her mind, there was a very high chance that she'd see glimpses into mine in return.

Both of us knew this, and it wasn't an issue. I was much more anxious about what I'd see in Amanda's mind than what trickles she'd get from mine.

She opened her eyes, and I opened mine to lock eye-contact. Within moments of our eyes meeting, I felt my energies hovering over the edges of her mind, like peering at compartment doors that were left completely unlocked. Like a library that had invited me, personally, to browse its collection.

"Are you ready?" I said, "I'm going to begin."

Amanda nodded, a steadfast and hopeful grin on her face.

Our hands were completely steady in trained meditation.

But the moment I opened the connection, I knew her heart was beating just as fast as mine was.

...

The experience couldn't have lasted more than a few minutes. Realistically, it had probably lasted less than _one_ minute. But we both knew when it was over.

I stopped accessing Amanda's mind when I had seen all I needed to see, and she had felt that herself.

My eyes watched Amanda hop out of her chair, her eyes slightly red. "Sabrina...? Uhm, wait here a sec, okay? I'll be right back." She said.

She returned a few moments later with a pile of tissues, and handed a few to me. "I'm sorry... I didn't realise it'd effect you like this. I'm really sorry."

I absentmindedly took a few of them and stared straight forward again. My head hurt... I brought a tissue to my sinuses. To my eyes.

The tissue was soaked.

Ah... of course.

I'm going to be completely honest; it's difficult to explain this kind of experience in mere words. It was difficult enough as is for my own mind to process and accept the iridescent way Amanda saw me. _Me_. Sabrina.

Oh, how I glowed... oh how brilliantly I shone for her. Arceus how incredible I looked, how breathtaking, how... life-changing.

The Sabrina she saw perform as a kid looked like a cool adult, even though I wasn't much older than her. That Sabrina... discovering that girl was such a pivotal moment in Amanda's life. That girl who in my mind had only ever accomplished what her parents wished. That performer was who had brought Amanda here. That Sabrina inspired Amanda to work so hard, to become such a strong psychic. To want to become an Ace Trainer at Victory Road. I-I...

Of course I was crying. How could I not be crying?

"I'm sorry..." for doubting you,  
"I'm okay," I'm going to be okay,  
"Thank you," for showing me I could shine so brightly.  
"I'm sorry." for crying like this.

My words fumbled, my sentiments dropping out all at once, in a weird order. I meant every single one of them though, and Amanda nodded. I think she understood.

I started to rub at my eyes more, and I felt my posture slipping as I curled and buried my face in my hands. My chest started to feel tight... my throat started to convulse a little.

My consciousness finally catching up with itself, I started to quietly weep.

I was probably going to miss that interview at Goldenrod Radio Tower, huh...

Well... that's okay.

...

"You really didn't have to." I smiled weakly as I took a glass from Amanda. She had just bought me a drink.

"It's okay, it's really okay." Amanda waved a hand nonchalantly. "You've been treating me all this time, and I'm grateful for tonight, so please..."

Well, I guess it would have been rude to refuse. Amanda was no longer my employee or colleague, just another powerful psychic Trainer. My expression relaxed. "Thanks."

Amanda sat herself down again and sipped at her own drink. It was amazing how much more relaxed her body language had become over the last few hours, even without any alcohol involved. She just felt like she could trust me now, and I guess I felt the same way.

"You feeling okay?" She asked.

I took in a deep sigh, my bangles pulsing gently. I brought the back of my hand to rub my red eyes. Kinda achy, but dry. "Yeah, I'm good," I smiled calmly, "Just have some more stuff to think about, I guess."

"On top of the performance stuff?" Amanda smirked. "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologise. It's not been a negative experience, I don't think." I relaxed my posture as I continued to contemplate my new thoughts. How Amanda's thoughts regarding me, now comfortably sitting among my memories, contrasted my old ones. "And by the way, you're free to ask about my performance if you want."

I could tell she would want to.

"Th-thanks!" Amanda beamed, childlike excitement betraying a lingering fascination in the idea of me as a performer. "Uhh, I guess I just really want to know how likely it is. I know I'm more of a battler now, but if I could see some of those psychic spectacles... if I could see a psychic performance that would prove even Will wrong..."

Since we were both psychics, we both knew exactly what the other had seen in our minds. Some of my concerns about whether or not to do a show, and about Will's attitude towards me, had leaked out to her.

"I'm still not sure." I shrugged my shoulders with a sheepish smile. "I find myself leaning towards it more and more... but I dunno. I don't want to trap myself in something that isn't me again, like I used to."

Amanda chuckled confidently. "If the last year's taught me anything, it's that neither of us believe we're ever really trapped in doing things that aren't us."

I tilted my head and shrugged a smile. She was right.

"Sabrina..." Amanda caught my eyes again, an excited grin on her face. "No one, not one of us would force you to perform again if you really do hate it... but those shows never seemed tacky or forced to us. They inspired us all... and forgive me for saying so, but the passion for showing people the wonders of Pokémon I felt from you is so genuine. I can't help but feel like you'll really enjoy it this time."

"Mm... thank you, Amanda." I finished off my juice, and started to get up. "For everything. For working so hard at the Gym all these years... for letting yourself grow and try new things... and for understanding me like an adult, like this."

Amanda got up as well, and we shared an awkward, fond glance. I held out my hand to her, and I saw her own hand twitch with hesitation.

After a few moments, she instead flung her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I'm g-gonna miss Saffron Gym _so much_, Sabrina." She muttered into my ear. "It was like a second home to me for these last four years or so... You'd better take _r-really_ good care of it, okay!?" I could hear her voice choking slightly.

I returned her embrace, hugging her tightly myself and nodding against her hair. "Of course... the Gym and all its Trainers are in the hands of someone who really cares about all of them. You're gonna do amazingly at Victory Road, don't worry about us."

"M-mhmm! I-I'll show everyone at the Indigo League what a psychic who worked at Saffron Gym is capable of! Aha... hahaha..." Amanda nodded against my head again, her voice shaking a little more. "Ugh, Arceus..." She pulled away, a shaky smile on her face.

"Don't vanish like the old Champion did, okay?" I held her shoulders and smiled proudly. "There's a front-row ticket to my show with your name on it."

Amanda, now wiping the corners of her eyes with her fingers and sniffling a little, laughed meekly as an excited glow shone through her eyes. "I-I accept! But save some for those for people who _really_ need to see it, like Will."

... Huh.

Like... Will... huh...?

"... Amanda, you're a _genius_!"

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I'm kinda nervous for you..." Erika pouted, huddling onto my arm. We were standing just outside the radio studio at Goldenrod Radio Tower.

"Yes." Karen nodded excitedly. "Absolutely, one hundred percent. I literally can't wait."

"She was asking _me_." My eyes lidded at Karen through a grin. "But yes, I think it's a good idea. The fact Karen thinks it'll work makes me even more confident."

"I knew psychics had huge brains but this idea is something else." Karen slapped me on the back, practically giddy.

Last night, after meeting up with Amanda, I called up Karen to ask for her help with the idea Amanda had given me.

"I want... to perform. I want to inspire people. I want to inspire _Will_." I said.

"Will, huh?" Karen had giggled through a smirk. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

With a calculating grin of my own, I explained to Karen that I needed her to join me at Goldenrod Radio Tower the next day. I had told the Radio Tower that I would make up for missing my important interview by announcing something even _bigger_.

Her reaction was even more jovial than I had expected, and she immediately agreed to help.

So here we were, about to head in.

"Coming up next, we've got two very, _very_ special guests; Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina and even the Elite Four's very own Karen! They've come _exclusively_ to Goldenrod Radio Variety Channel to announce and discuss a brand new project! Don't touch that PokéGear folks because you do _not_ want to miss this one!"

With a press of a button, the Variety Channel's theme jingle started playing as the broadcast was put on pause. The radio host, Buena, took off her headphones before giving us an excited waved through the glass screen.

"You guys ready?" The assistant overlooking the show said, turning to Karen and myself. "Buena is ready for you now, so head on through."

Erika squished up to me and pressed her nose into my cheek with a brief kiss. "Don't be nervous babe."

"I've done radio stuff plenty before." I kissed her back. "So please don't be nervous yourself, okay?"

"We'll see." Erika smiled sweetly and gave my hand a squeeze.

Karen had already made her way through into the recording studio and was getting properly introduced to Buena during the short broadcasting break, so I followed her in.

"Good to see you, Sabrina!" Buena beamed, her voice as clear and charismatic as ever. "Thanks again for the exclusive, I really needed one over Mary this week."

"You know I don't like it when you two fight." I joked with a chuckle, settling in the seat I usually sat in when I did radio interviews on Buena's channel.

"All right." The radio intercom blared from the outside. "Everyone ready? We're going live in three, two, one..."

He signalled 'go' with a point on the count of zero, and the '**-ON AIR-**' light came on. I darted a look through the glass screen, to see Erika giving me an adorably anxious thumbs-up.

"And we're back! This is the one and only Buena with Goldenrod's Variety Channel coming to you _live_. The time is 6:30pm and it's a beautiful golden Saturday evening here in the city. Zubat-eared regulars will remember that Pokémon Search Party is unfortunately taking a break today, but that's okay because we've got a couple of _ultra_ special guests here on the show _right now_. Why don't you introduce yourselves for the listeners?"

Karen seemed almost mystified, staring at Buena with wonder from her seat. I had to admit, even with my history of performance, that the charisma and energy radio hosts spoke with without it being grating on the ears was impressive.

"Thanks, Buena." I started coolly. "This is Saffron City Gym Leader Sabrina."

Hearing me handle it so easily, Karen snapped out of her funk and tried to relax, throwing one leg over the other in her seat. "And I'm Karen, the top-ranked Trainer at the Indigo Elite Four. Come battle me sometime!" She joked, casually reminding everyone that she was actually a _really_ big deal.

"First of all, just want to say Karen that it's a real honour to have you here on the show today, it's not every day we get an Elite Four member, let alone a top-Houndoom like yourself!"

"That's, like, my favourite Pokémon!" Karen laughed, "But you should really be thanking Sabrina, she's been working on something that's really piqued my interest."

"You've been popping up on the radio a lot more often lately, Sabrina." Buena bounced back to me.

"That's right, I have." I said.

"Now is there a reason for that, or this just part of your whole 'new Sabrina' thing you've been doing?"

I shook my head, before remembering that no one was going to see me doing that, "Sort of? Kind of. Actually, a lot of that has been leading up to this announcement I've got today."

"And this is an exclusive, world-first announcement from you today, isn't that right?"

"Yes this is something completely new, not something I've discussed or alluded to in any of my recent interviews, photo-shoots, yadda yadda. I'm really excited about it. I think Karen is too?"

"Oh, absolutely. Hell yes. Sorry, am I allowed to say that?" Karen suddenly lurched forward in her seat, covering her mouth in embarrassment. She was really excitable... my impression of her had changed so significantly recently.

"We'll make an exception this once." Buena joked. At least, I think she was joking. "Well then Sabrina I don't want to keep my wonderful listeners in suspense any longer, I know for sure that _I_ can barely contain my excitement. Let's hear about this new project of yours!"

I cleared my throat, theatrically, of course, "I'm very excited to announce that in collaboration with Ecruteak Dance Hall - yes, that's right - I'm producing and starring in a new, _fully independent_ Psychic Pokémon show!"

"No way! No _way_!" Buena, of course, already knew about what my plan was. Still, I guessed she thought it was more exciting for her audience of she feigned surprise too. "So you're confirming those rumours that the legendary psychic queen Sabrina is finally making her performance comeback after all these years!?"

Karen started to cackle loudly at Buena's sensationalist descriptor of me, and admittedly it took some of the edge off. I knew Buena was just trying to hype things a little, but still... "It wouldn't be quite right to say I'm confirming those constant rumours... the reality, is so, _so_ much more unique."

"This really does sound exciting!" Buena, thankfully, seemed to move away from the rumours, "So can I possibly ween any more snippets of information out from you? What can we expect from this new show?"

"Hmmm..." I loudly, charismatically thought aloud with a steadfast confidence. "You know how telekinesis can bend thing like metal spoons? Well... they can bend and manipulate Pokémon moves too."

"Can we expect you to twirl around a Hyper Beam and make a little ribbon out of it?" Buena teased.

"Much safer than a Hyper Beam, and much more mystifying. Water, Fire, Grass, the sky's the limit, and I really can't wait for you all to see it."

"Honestly me neither." Karen butted in, "This girl's so secretive it's no wonder the real thing is so much more interesting than the rumours. I haven't even seen them myself! Still, her girlfriend Erika and my buddy Lorelei both say to expect amazing things, and I definitely believe them."

I blushed at Karen's random name-drop of Erika. I didn't mind or anything, it was just unexpected. I glanced at Erika through the screen, who was too busy clasping her hands together and bobbing up and down in excitement to show any signs of embarrassment.

"It sounds like there's going to be some amazing sights indeed!" Buena continued, "So Sabrina, you mentioned that this new show is totally independently produced; no connection to your family's old theatre productions?"

"That's right, this is something I've come up with myself, with the help of wonderful friends and Pokémon."

"And are you worried that people are going to compare your new show to Will's, which is likely to return for a new run this year?"

There it was... the moment we'd been waiting for. Karen and I exchanged smirks before I continued.

"Actually, Will's show was definitely part of what inspired my new one." I hummed whimsically into the microphone. "I think he's done incredibly at generating a new wave of interest in psychic ability as an art-form, and now I can't help but want to contribute to that field in all new ways myself. Psychic abilities are still misunderstood a lot to this day, I think the field will improve exponentially if we all help each other out and collaborate on showing the world their beauty."

"And that's why I'm here, too." Karen grinned, rising slightly from her chair in excitement. Buena's eyes widened in intrigue - because this was the part that we hadn't told her about beforehand.

"Yep. Will's been really busy." I said, resisting the urge not to laugh at how calculating this all felt. "But as thanks for all the people his show inspired, I'd like to extend VIP tickets to him specifically. He's cordially invited to the opening night of my new production, and I can't wait for him to see what I've been working on too."

"So, so, hang on, hold on." Buena held her hands out in confusion. "Karen is here, to...?"

"I'm here as her sponsor, or something." Karen said with a weirdly smooth awkwardness. "Will's like one of my best friends, so I'm gonna deliver the tickets right to his _face_ with my vote of confidence. You hear that, Will? Your as- uh, butt, better enjoy this after Sabrina put herself out for you like this! Maybe then, even _I'll_ be invited!"

"You're invited." I sighed playfully.

"I'm invited!" Karen gasped back equally playfully.

"It's so good to see our top psychics supporting each other! And if the top-ranked Elite Four member is so excited about it, then that's all the confidence anyone could ever need, right folks?" Buena cheerily spoke into the microphone. "Well then, to wrap up this segment, be sure to keep a close eye on your calendars this summer listeners because with Elite Four members on the VIP list those tickets are going to be hot, hot, hot!"

"Thank you so, so much for having us on the show today Buena. It's going to be the best psychic show _I've_ ever done. Easily! I know that much."

"No, thank _you two_ for coming on the show, it's been a delight! And while I admit it's a shame I didn't get a ticket myself, I'm far too busy with my own show to-."

"Oh, uh, I forgot to mention you get a ticket, too." I scratched my face. I had somehow forgotten to bring that up at all, so now I felt pretty rude. Karen started laughing again though, which again, took the edge off.

"W-wait, I _do_!?" Buena shot up straight in her seat and accidentally knocked a microphone and an empty glass over. "Oh!" She leant back towards the mic, briefly bumping her cheek on it, "Buena's Password is coming up right after a new episode of 'Waves of Love' folks, don't miss it! So Sabrina wait, I do!?" she stood up again and trailed off, "Are you seriou-!?"

**-OFF AIR-**

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(notes: The finale of the story approaches! This chapter marks the conclusion of some notable subplots like Sabrina's long-held doubts that she was capable of inspiring others, as well as her initially shaky relationship with Karen.**_

_**More than that though, it marks the start of the final arc. There are just a couple more chapters to go now, and it should be becoming clearer how things are going to climax!**_

_**As with the ch14, this is another chapter I really love, and one of the more emotional chapters in the story. Amanda was just one of Sabrina's Gym Trainers in the games, but I'm really happy with how I fleshed her out into a character, as well as giving her her own mini character arc and how it fills out Sabrina's own.**_

_**Mind-reading being a sensitive subject for Sabrina has been alluded to ever since "Erika", and I feel like having Sabrina finally face that and the way people see her with another psychic in this chapter makes for a touching and heartwarming moment just as the story is nearing its end.**_

_**Admittedly, I welled up writing those last scenes between Sabrina and Amanda, and I do sometimes while re-reading them as well.**_

_**Anyway, anyone who's dealt with severe self-doubt knows that it persists even in the face of proof to the contrary, but this is another big step in Sabrina's growth.**_

_**The radio tower scene was good fun to write as a palette cleanser ahead of the major events and chapters coming up next, and I was happy that I got to give Buena a small role and namedrop Mary. As a kid, I thought Buena was really cool. Maybe it was the Buena Password music...**_

_**That scene also gave me the opportunity to write one last scene with Karen. I've loved writing her so much! I hope I get to again someday.**_

_**See you again in two weeks, for (potentially) the penultimate chapter!)**_


	16. (Reflection of Heart and Soul)

**x**

* * *

An unusually strong, brisk wind had been blowing from the south-east lately. Erika said it was poetic; 'the winds of a new beginning' or something.

Part of me thought she was probably just saying that to calm my nerves... but it definitely _was _unusual. Maybe it just _felt_ weird, because it was supposed to be summer now! And this wind was _far_ too strong!

I felt a light shiver bristle through me, as I stood at Celadon Gym's front doors. "You guys closed already?" I gave the door a hearty knock.

As if anticipating my arrival though, the door slid open barely a moment later.

"Yo, Sabrina!" Julia greeted me with a familiar hug, and I hugged back. "We're just packing up for the day. You sure you don't want her to yourself for the evening?"

"Yep, I'll only need her for a couple of hours. I'm more worried about _her_ getting anxious than I am about me, to be honest." I pulled back from the hug with a calm smile as the Gym doors closed behind me.

"I heard that, sweetie." Erika's voice called from one of the side-hedges. She was doing some watering with her Bellossom, it seemed. We exchanged doting glances and a playful wave.

"Hey, Sabrina! Come check out how strong Exeggutor's gotten!" Tanya excitedly called over from her arena of the meadow. "She's got an even cooler Psychic Type move now!"

"Really, now? Let's have a look."

I hadn't talked about them much lately, but I had gotten to know most of Erika's Gym Trainers even better over the last year. Come to think of it, it had been almost a year now since they helped me to force Erika to open up...

We got along so well nowadays, all that stuff felt almost like ancient history already. They really were a wonderful group of girls.

"Don't hog her for too long," Michelle called over to Tanya from near the front door, "Boss'll get jealous, she needs her Sabrina-time."

Tanya pouted. "Y-yeah, I know! I'll see you guys at the fountain in a bit!"

"I can hear _all_ of you, you know." Erika tutted as if she were their mom. I could practically hear her eyes rolling from across the Gym's gardens.

I sat myself with Tanya and let Espeon out of his ball. Espeon immediately pranced over to rub his face and cheeks fondly against Exeggutor's leg, and Exeggutor's vacant-looking faces relaxed.

"Exeggutor doesn't like Erika's new Shiftry, much." Tanya giggled.

"Keep at it. Psychic Types and Dark Types can get along really well if you work hard." I smiled at the two Pokémon, before turning back to Tanya. "Has she been okay today?" I gestured my head towards Erika, who was still watering the gardens.

"Why are _you_ asking that?" Tanya shot me a confused smile, "You're the one we're all anxious about..."

"Well, that's why I'm worried. I don't want her or any of you stressing out about me, when I'll be fine." I smiled gently and patted the green cap on Tanya's head.

"You adults are really weird sometimes." Tanya just sighed, while Espeon and Exeggutor shared fascinated glances. There was probably some psychic-ness going on there. "All right, Exeggutor, we should leave the weird adults alone."

Exeggutor playfully shook her branches around at a happily yipping Espeon, before Tanya returned the Pokémon to her Pokéball.

"Tanya." Erika smiled sweetly as she wandered up to the two of us, her little Bellossom huddled comfortably in her right arm. "If you don't say it now, you'll regret it, won't you?"

Tanya's pouted at Erika, her face turning bright red. "Ehehe... uhm." Her eyes darted around a little, but eventually settled on me. "B-best of luck tomorrow, Sabrina!" She forced out with a slight stutter, "I-I really wanted to thank you for all the free tickets and stuff... I can't wait! I really can't wait!"

"I can't wait either." I calmly shut my eyes with a smile. "And neither can your boss, you can practically see her shaking with excitement."

"Babe? Shut up." Erika scrunched her mouth into a pout, earning a giggle from me and Tanya - followed by Erika's own adorable laughter.

Sensing it really was time to go now, Tanya sprang towards the Gym doors. "We'll see you later, right Erika?"

"That's the plan, apparently..." Erika shot an anxious glance towards me.

"It is," I smiled calmly back at Erika, "Have a great evening, Tanya."

After the doors closed behind Tanya, the Gym was blanketed in a calm, nostalgic quiet. I was suddenly overcome with an urge to cuddle up with Erika on the grass, and watch the sunlight dim together in peaceful silence.

Erika took a deep breath in, and I got up to give her a tight squeeze. I felt her quivering quietly in my grip, so leaned into her more heavily, inviting her to squeeze back.

She clutched the back of my pink top in her fists... I could feel her heart racing against my chest. She pulled back from my shoulder, and pressed her lips to mine.

"I can't help it. Are you sure you want me to hold flower arrangement classes this evening like usual?" She gave me another peck on the lips, "I'm more than happy to keep you company all evening."

"If you spend the whole evening with me, you'll work us both into a worry. I'm going to be _fine_..." I kissed her back, running my fingers through her soft black hair before resting my hands on her cheeks. "I'd much rather you were occupied with your classes, than hovering around the house worrying. I'm just going to meditate and check things over one last time before you come home, all right?" I gave her face another couple of affectionate kisses.

"You _are_ really good at staying calm when you meditate." Erika reassured herself, still holding onto me tightly.

"I am."

"At least let me make some tea and sit with you for a bit?"

"That sounds great." I cupped Erika's cheek in my hand and pressed my nose against hers. "I bet the Pokémon want to play together a bit anyway."

...

Espeon, Bellossom, Jumpluff and Wobbuffet played jump-rope with Tangela and Victreebel's vines. Mr. Mime, Jynx and Roserade played some kind of card game together. Gallade and Shifty were engaged in a stubborn arm-wrestling contest.

Alakazam watched over them calmly all the while, like a fond guardian.

Erika wandered out from the kitchen area with a tray of tea and rice snacks, then laid them out on the picnic blanket. She poured tea for the both of us, before sitting down and resting her warmth against mine as we took sips together.

"Finally... recharging." Erika mumbled contently, snuggling her side up against me.

This was the sort of idyllic day-to-day life that had become the norm for Erika and myself over the last year. Usually we spent it at my Gym, but we were doing it here more often again now.

Moving on and healing from the past was a gradual, but sure process. Flower classes, Celadon City, even her Gym itself, all things that had become mired in negative association for Erika in recent years, were slowly becoming things she loved again as those associations were replaced with more positive experiences.

She'd be going out to hold flower arrangement classes this evening, too. She was really passionate about them, and they were a source of reliable positivity for her. She found herself looking forward to them each week again now, and was slowly focusing more on those classes than worries like pollution or her rooted workaholism issues.

Or today's worry; her anxiety about my show's opening night tomorrow.

Of _course_ I was anxious about it... of course I was. But she was so worried about me being anxious about it, so anxious on my behalf that she... she was practically shaking.

I gripped her hand tightly. She felt for and interlaced our fingers.

"Hey... I'm proud of you." I said, out of nowhere.

"What's this, all of a sudden?" Erika huffed stiffly, "That should be my line today."

I shook my head against hers, feeling my hair brush against hers. "You _are_ proud of me... I know you are. But... you've always done so much for me, over the last few years. Even now, you're thinking and worrying about me so much."

"O-of course I am..." Erika pressed her thumb to my palm. "Tomorrow is a huge day for you. Your career, your sense of self, this is one of the biggest conscious changes you've ever made."

"But I'm still proud of _you_!" I said, "Because without you even realising it, I look around and you've been making your life so much better for yourself."

Erika paused for a moment, "I hadn't really thought about it that way," she turned and smiled her lips into my cheek, "A year ago, I barely ever did things for the sake of my own mental well-being, and now..." she chuckled, giving me a brief squeeze with her free arm. "I guess that goes for both of us."

I nodded again. "Mhm... you helped me realise that I wanted to be a better version of me. Keep being a better version of me. So, guess what?"

"What?"

"You've been hiding your laugh a lot less, lately." I looked down at the slowly waving grass, resting my arm against Erika's as my hand continued to grip hers.

Almost by reflex, Erika giggled - and her arm didn't even flinch to cover her mouth. Too small a giggle to snort, but if she had done that I would have been able to tell she was just putting it on.

"You know." Erika brought a hand up to rub the side of her head. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but your constant adoration of my laughter has kind of... endeared me to it?"

"R-really!?" I span around and beamed excitedly at her, our noses mere inches apart.

"W-well! Kinda!?" Erika's face flushed red, her own eyes wide in fluster. "It just feels like... because you know the real me so well now, and love all of me despite that... I started to think that maybe... I'm..."

"Beautiful. Inside and out."

"Your words, not mine." Erika laughed a little louder - yep, there was her adorable little snort. I rewarded her with a giddy, playful grin.

Her face reddened further. "_Aaanyway_!" she stuck her nose up haughtily, trying to change the subject, "Sabrina, _you're_ honestly a really, really special person. Your impact on not just me, but others too. You're a genuine inspiration, in every sense of the word."

"Just like you?"

"You didn't object," Erika hummed, "That's a big improvement."

"You didn't object to my compliment, so I won't either."

I laid back against her, gazing up at the Gym's tree-obscured ceiling. "I've always called you one of my biggest inspirations, Erika. I don't think that'll ever change... but maybe I'm finally ready to change the way I see myself. Admit to myself that even _I've_ impacted things about the world that I love."

Erika sat up and span around, making me slip backwards slightly. "Then," Erika gripped my hands in hers and stared assertively into my eyes, "Hear me when I say this, my love."

My own face reddened. "Y-you're going to be really cheesy?"

"And I'm going to mean every single word of it," Erika nodded with a v-shaped smile, then fixed her ardent gaze on me again, "I love you, the brightest and most brilliant inspiration of _my_ life, Sabrina.

Thanks to you I can love so happily, so freely, without resenting myself or feeling trapped anymore. I can heal from the mistakes I've made, with my favourite person in the world... and while believing with every ounce of my heart that she shines brighter and does more incredible things every day."

Erika continued to gaze dearly into my eyes, sentimental tears building quietly in the corners of hers.

This level of mushy wasn't fair... I felt my lips melt into a shaky smile.

"Not going to object to this either?" She grinned, leaning her warm forehead into mine.

I rested my forehead back on hers. "... N-not this time." I chuckled weakly in response, my voice cracking slightly.

"And you're not getting away this evening without me reiterating that I'm really, _really_ proud of you too," She continued to mutter warmly, "You're going to inspire even more people tomorrow.

Just like you inspire me every single day... just by being you." Erika leaned her head over my shoulder and squeezed me again.

"Y-you're ruthless today." I clutched affectionately at the back of her kimono and squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath.

She pulled away from the hug and stroked my cheek with her thumb. "Well, I've been worrying about you all day. It was only a few months ago that you still reeled at the idea of being called an 'inspiration' by _anyone_, even your lover."

"Y-yeah..." I blushed and averted eye-contacted for a moment, "I wanted to try believing people. To stop taking their heartfelt words so lightly."

I had Amanda to thank for that, too.

I really hoped she was still planning on coming tomorrow...

Holding Erika's hand to my face with my own, I leaned into and nuzzled it. "It's a lot to come to terms with... and I can scarcely believe how much I've changed with your help... with everyone's help.

But they're all still changes I made _for myself,_ and the more I change, the more I enjoy my life. Like... before I knew it, it became harder and harder to resent myself, you know? Because _I_ did those things!** _I_ **changed to be a better person!"

"Mm, mm!" Erika nodded through damp eyes, still lovingly gazing and stroking my face. "But you've always, _always_ been amazing, Sabrina. In my eyes, you've always been my cool, talented crush. My soft, genius girlfriend. So I'm... I'm so, so proud that you're inspiring yourself enough to retake your passions, to enjoy your own life in ways you've always deserved."

Inspiring... _myself_...

I sat in silence for a few moments, just holding Erika's hand. I turned to kiss her hand a few times, then squeeze it against my cheek again.

"You're right... a lot of the 'changes' I've been through was just me realising that it was okay to be... _me._

Realisations I've had for all sorts of reasons, but the inspiration to change was within me all along. There's always been more to my own drive than just other people." I started to muse, my eyesight wandering through the Gym's trees as our fingers interlaced again.

"I used to see 'inspiration' as some kind of ethereal catalyst or chain-reaction." I huffed an embarrassed smile. "Something with a simple scientific answer, that I just wasn't allowed to have. I put it on such a pedestal... and it felt like the only way for me to resolve all those empty feelings was to find inspiration elsewhere, and hold onto it tight.

But I've learned it's not something you can just... _hold_. Everyone shines to someone, right? But there's so much more to me... so much more to _us_, than only the way we shine to each other."

I paused for a moment with my mouth hung open, trying to collect and word my thoughts.

"Mm... Are you sure you're okay?" Erika tilted her head and blinked some of the damp from her eyes, keeping a tight grip on my hand.

"I'm not finished!" I giggled sheepishly, and she giggled sweetly in response.

"So sure... maybe even _if_ we never became close, I could have inspired myself to grow and find myself someday. Maybe just knowing someone like you existed would have been enough. But I can hardly believe how happy I am with you! You're _more_ than life-changing to me!

I guess I realised that... the word 'inspiration' no longer feels like it does justice to how I feel about you, or what we have, and what we've made together."

Taking my hand from Erika's, I moved to gently hold her jaw and locked sincere eyes with her. "It doesn't feel right to even _consider_ the idea that I'm with you simply because you inspire me." I mumbled softly.

I then shut my eyes with a gentle smile, leaning my forehead into hers again. I took a deep breath in.

I felt her warm hand on my face, I felt her warm face in my hands. The atmosphere was so serene that I could hear her breathing... feel her heartbeat...

"Erika... you are _everything _to me. From the bottom of my heart, I love you. I love you and everything that you are. I love that you've helped me to start loving myself. I don't think I'll ever forget these first few years with you... not for the rest of my life."

My eyelids felt so relaxed... so I couldn't see Erika's reaction. From her dramatic sniffling though, I had a pretty good guess.

"... O-okay. I'm done now."

"S-Sabrina!" She squealed adoringly, throwing her arms around me and squeezing me tightly against her. "Geeze! You completely showed me up when I tried _so_ _hard_ to out-cheese you earlier!"

"W-well I..." I opened my eyes and brought a hand back to awkwardly scratch my cheek. "It's an important week for me, so I've been thinking about a lot of things, y-you know? And this idea that I've actually been inspiring _myself_ all along, despite what I used to think, I-..."

Erika continued sniffling and quietly whimpered as she held onto me. "Mm!" She nodded, "It's okay, it's not a competition I'm just... Arceus I really am proud of you. And super emotional. And ultra in love with you."

"Th-thank you." I whimpered back, admittedly struggling to prevent myself from growing more emotional too. I trembled a little and wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her shoulder. "I love you, Erika."

"I love you, Sabrina."

"I'm gonna be okay, aren't I?"

"You're gonna be okay. You'd better be okay."

My arms still wrapped tightly around Erika, I sniffed loudly with my face buried in her shoulder. "Okay... but don't just worry about me. Now you need to worry about being able to match or out-do my cheesiness next time _you_ do something we're both really proud of."

"Ugh." Erika tutted between her own sniffs. I felt her hands clutch possessively at my back. "Yeah, that _is_ worrying. Darn, now I'm much too occupied with that to worry about you." She joked awkwardly, still trying to calm her own nerves.

Maybe that little moment between us was inevitable. Maybe we needed it.

Either way, we sat in a quiet, sentimental cuddle for a little while. It felt emotionally significant, and definitely helped those two short hours to pass by a little slower. Geez... it wasn't like we weren't going to see each other later that night.

I guess we really were just going to miss each other while Erika was holding her class.

...

As planned, I meditated at home for most of the evening.

Usually when Erika was out in Celadon, I was either out with my colleagues or spending time with my Pokémon... but that evening, I meditated.

It was almost strange how quiet it was, though. Nowadays when I meditated, it wasn't rare for Erika to be pottering around the house playing with the Pokémon, relaxing, or doing a bit of cooking or cleaning.

Today... it was just me and Alakazam.

My Pokémon and I had already rehearsed ad nauseam for the show tomorrow. I didn't think last-minute practise would help much, so I thought it best for them to rest tonight.

Meditation was one of the few stay-overs from the 'old' Sabrina... one of my few old habits that actually still felt both productive and healthy. It was an essential practise for a psychic, but it could be pretty emotionally and spiritually fulfilling as well.

To be honest, it always kind of felt like one of the biggest giveaways that the whole 'emotions complicate things' mantra my family had always taught psychic powers with? Was a load of Tauros dung.

My family... would probably be at the show tomorrow, too.

I briefly wondered what they'd think, but not long enough to worry. I was far more occupied with what it would make _other people_ feel. People who didn't know psychic abilities, or who loved psychic abilities, or who loved Pokémon. Whether they'd see me differently afterwards. Whether lives would change.

Who else would be going? Could the show help Jasmine get out of her rut? Would Will's front-row seats make him hate me even more? I was pretty confident I could at least impress Lorelei and Karen... and that confidence made me feel good.

I could scarcely believe I was about to do something so... ambitious, entirely of my own volition. I couldn't help but agree; I really _was_ inspiring myself, by finding a feeling I wanted so _badly_ to show to the world.

'_How are you feeling, Sabrina? Sorry to interrupt._' Alakazam's comfortingly familiar voice filled my head.

'_It's all right,_' I responded telepathically, stretching my arms and grunting languidly out loud, '_I was starting to get distracted by thoughts, so it's a good time to take a break._'

I opened my eyes and turned my head to see Alakazam was still in meditative stance, but his eyes were already open, peering at me.

'_Mm,_' He mused, '_I could tell you had things on your mind, but I have confidence tomorrow will go smoothly._'

'_Yeah, me too._' I took a deep breath to calm myself.

It was kinda surprising, I really _was_ confident. Mostly confident. I wouldn't have decided to do this in the first place if I wasn't, but...

'_Is there something on your mind, Sabrina? I sense you're thinking about the past._'

Of course I was. I had been thinking about the past a _lot_ today.

The way I got on so well with Erika's Trainers. The way Erika and I gushed about each other so candidly. The way we both talked about how much we'd changed, and would continue to change.

And_ this_... performing not just any stage show after all these years, but one I had created with such passion. Even a year ago, I would never have dreamed I'd be doing something like this _willingly_.

'_Alakazam... I know you prefer to keep your opinions to yourself, but I really am curious. Do you think what I'm doing is a good thing for a psychic to do? Not just the performance... but the way I've changed. Become such an emotional person._'

It was a concern I tried to avoid thinking about.

The 'proper' way to be a psychic... keeping a clear mind. Avoiding emotional complications. That possibility I could hurt myself again by becoming openly emotional.

Ever since I started actively welcoming people and their thoughts into my heart, my head felt more and more filled with thoughts and feelings all the time, every day. Sometimes it got a little overwhelming. I often worried that I wasn't being the best person I could be, or that I wasn't loving them in the right way, but...

'_The school of psychic training among humans is somewhat structured in academia, but no such thing exists for Pokémon,_' Alakazam nodded calmly, '_As far as I'm concerned... there is no proper way to be a psychic._

_These last few years are the happiest I've ever seen you, old friend. You're mentally healthier than you've ever been before. Having reasons to get up and smile every day... surely cannot be a bad thing._'

'_I'm glad you think so._' I chuckled in relief after finding myself staring pensively at the ceiling. '_Sometimes it feels like... things used to be so much simpler back then. Back when I only trained for my career. Back when everything had a calculable answer._'

Back before Erika and the ex-Champion showed me things that _couldn't_ be explained or answered that simply.

Before I knew it, I was smiling to myself. I only noticed because I spotted Alakazam smiling at me as well.

'_Well, I don't know,_' Alakazam chuckled with a sly, fox-like grin, '_Call me selfish, but having you and your other Pokémon as my friends has been much nicer for me than us simply being colleagues._'

I beamed back at him; he seemed to already know exactly how I felt. "Thanks for the affirmation, old friend." I said out loud, with a breezy smile.

I promptly decided to go check on my Pokéballs to make sure everyone else was feeling well. The moment he had put it like that... yeah, I could no longer imagine going back to the way I used to be.

Even if I wanted to, I don't know if I would be capable. My heart was so full of unapologetic and candid love for my Pokémon and my friends. The smiles of the lives around me made my own life worth living. _They_ made me want to do incredible things.

I wondered if the ex-Champion felt the same way.

That way they battled... I sighed.

I wondered... if I'd ever see it again.

By association, a faint memory of that surreal vision briefly bubbled up from the back of my mind. The vision where my Gym looked different... I looked different... the Trainer stood before me looked different...

_Why_ had I seen it in that moment, three years ago? What did it mean?

Come to think of it, me and my Gym both looked different now.

Could it be-

-_Ring! Ring! Ring!_-

My PokéGear began to ring suddenly, taking me by surprise a little. I looked at the ID, even more surprised to see that it was Whitney.

She didn't call often at all... I wandered to the video phone and picked up.

_-Beep-_

"Good evening Whitney, what's up?"

Getting a look at her, her eyes looked a little red, but a great big smile was plastered across her face and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"I-I'm coming to see the show tomorrow!" Whitney declared loudly, clenching her fists. Her voice sounded a little choked, but she didn't sound upset.

This _was_ a surprise though. I put a fist on my hip and raised an eyebrow, smirking at her. "What made you change your mind? You kept saying that you really didn't like old stuff like the Dance Hall."

Whitney proudly put both her fists on her hips and stood steadfast. "I feel like I just experienced something _amazing_! I got all inspired, and I'm too excited to sit at home all day tomorrow, so I'm just gonna come!"

_-Ring! Ring! Ring!-_

!? Another call? Weird timing... though I guessed since tomorrow was a big day for me, maybe it wasn't that weird I'd be in my friends' thoughts.

"It's Jasmine," I said to Whitney, "I'm going to add her to the call." Whitney responded with an enthusiastic nod.

_-Beep-_

Jasmine's face, appearing even more red and tear-stained than Whitney's, appeared on screen. We were both taken-aback, because Whitney crying wasn't exactly rare, but Jasmine...

"I-is Erika there?" Jasmine whimpered meekly, her voice jumping a little.

I shook my head gently, "No, she's at class. Jasmine, are you okay?" My expression softened sensitively. I know Jasmine found it easier to talk to Erika, but I wanted to help too.

Jasmine's lip was quivering, and she kept avoiding eye-contact. She took a few deep, shaky breaths. It looked like she really didn't want to be making this call...

"I-I..." She choked. "I can't come. I can't come tomorrow, I'm s-sorry..." She apologised. "I'm really really s-sorry..."

The longer she apologised, the shakier her voice got, the more it seemed like she could burst into tears at any second.

My heart couldn't help but sink for her, "H-hey, it's okay... the show will run for a few months, please don't worry. What's wrong? Talk to me." My mouth hung open anxiously.

Despite how I felt at seeing Jasmine like this, though... Whitney's expression remained bright and excited. I swear, she never made sense to me.

"I-it's Amphy, they-...!" Jasmine hunched over and muttered, becoming a little difficult to hear clearly. As she tried to talk, her throat convulsed and she started to cry again. "A-Amphy is sick... they're really, _really sick_-...!"

A dejected anxiousness gripped my expression. What could I do or say in this situation? I would just... have to stay optimistic for her.

"It's really okay, Jasmine," I tried to reassure her, "Amphy's been working too hard, right? You need to make sure neither of you push yourselves too hard. My show can wait, we'll come and visit you tomorrow after it's over too!"

Jasmine tried to look me in the eyes, but immediately slumped in shame when she did. She shook her head vigorously in distress, "N-no it's-! I can't believe I let you down like this on your big day! I-I'm a terrible friend I can't stop getting overwhelmed I-I can't even stop Amphy from getting _sick_ I-" her words fumbled and trailed, her voice straining as she started crying more loudly.

"Jasmine! You shouldn't cry over something like that, silly!" Whitney beamed into her video phone.

I fell speechless, my mouth agape in disbelief at Whitney's apparent facetiousness. How could she look so happy? "Th-this really isn't the time to act like that, Whitney-"

"Nonono, listen up ya'll! You'd both say the same thing too if you met them!"

... Huh? If we met _who_?

Tears continued to tumble down Jasmine's pink cheeks, but she was now staring with a quiet curiosity at Whitney as well.

In a weird way, Whitney's absurd comment had helped her to relax?

"U-uhm," Jasmine hiccuped, "Wh-Whitney, have you been crying t-too?"

"Yup!" Whitney once again beamed proudly, _weirdly_ proudly considering she was pretty self-conscious about her crying habit. "I had a great cry, because of this amazing Trainer who challenged me just a bit ago! I got so many weird and overwhelmed mixed feelings from our battle... but then, when they came back for their badge, I realised something incredible!"

Both Jasmine and I just stared, too dumbfounded to say anything. Whitney gave a self-assured nod before continuing.

"Everyone in the battle worked so hard! Me and my Pokémon, the other Trainer and their Pokémon... it was just intense!

So... when it all ended, and I lost... I was floored by how frustrated I felt, you know? I put _everything_ into that battle, but it was so exciting, and amazing, a-and-..."

Whitney's eyes appeared to be staring off into space, as if she were daydreaming.

"A-anyways!" She suddenly snapped back to reality. "I realised that... crying when you put your all into something, and then it ends... and you're frustrated... it's totally fine, right!? I shouldn't be ashamed of being that way!"

"B-but I-" Jasmine piped up, her eyes fixed on the video phone in confusion. "Erm, how is the reason I'm crying a problem then, Whitney...?"

"Don't you see!?"

No, I really didn't see. I don't think Jasmine did either.

The pink-haired girl pointed dramatically at us, "Save your tears of frustration for when it's all over! For when you've put in your all and you still lose! You haven't lost yet, Jasmine, you just gotta get Amphy all better!"

Jasmine and I just... stared.

To be honest, Whitney sounded _so_ enthusiastic, _so_ driven and inspired, that I genuinely found it difficult to stay annoyed at her?

"What on earth are you all talking about?" Came a familiar voice from behind me. I felt a warm peck on my cheek. "Evening, honey." She hummed, before turning her attention to Whitney. "Whitney sweetie, I'm not sure that's very good advice."

But all of a sudden, Jasmine started giggling.

"Wh-Whitney you-...! Ah- _Ahahaha!_" She held her hand over her mouth, tears still forming in the corners of her eyes. "Y-you're so weird! Where ever did you get this amazing energy from?"

Normally, this would be the point Whitney finally pouted or frowned. But no... not even a little pout.

Okay, maybe a _little_ pout. But she still exuded an aura of such self-affirmed confidence, excitement, and inspiration, sticking her nose up haughtily before declaring to all of us:

"You'll get it soon, Jasmine! That amazing Trainer is probably gonna Rollout through to Olivine City within the next few days! Heck, maybe they'll even help you with Amphy themselves!?"

Jasmine, now much too amused to remain mopey, raised an eyebrow at Whitney and grinned. "Really? What kind of random stranger would be willing to go all the way to Cianwood to help me with a sick Pokémon?"

Whitney and Jasmine continued bickering at one another, but Erika and I exchanged curious glances.

There was no way...

... Right?

* * *

"Phew..." I wiped my brow in relief.

I'd been here since morning. Mostly setting up the stage, making sure it was close enough to perfect to not worry over. "Thanks for all your help, everyone."

There really wasn't much I needed in the way of props or backdrops anyway. I should be able to create all the effects I'd need through Pokémon and telekinesis alone, but I was still grateful to the stage hands and Kimono Girls for all the help.

I headed through backstage to my dressing room, where my Pokémon were either practising or meditating. I beamed gratefully at them all as I entered, before walking into the changing area to finish prettying up.

It was at times like this I couldn't help but marvel over the intelligence of Psychic Pokémon.

Of course they knew exactly why we were all here today; we'd practised _months_ for this! But the way they all knew and communicated exactly what they needed to work or practise on made it all the more obvious that I would be performing with not just battle partners, but trusted friends. Friends who all knew how one another felt.

'_Need any help with makeup, Sabrina?_' I heard Alakazam's voice in my head. He was joking, trying to make sure moods were light, I'm sure.

"No, but thanks for offering." I chuckled back out loud. Making myself look gorgeous was _easy_ compared to performing something completely new in front of an audience for the first time.

But... I wasn't really nervous, either? I felt pretty good.

I looked down at the bangles on my wrists. They hummed a gentle, green light, and I felt myself smiling warmly.

_-Knock knock-_

"Honey?" Erika's voice peeped through the dressing room door.

My smile widened. "No spoiling my outfit until you see me on stage, babe!"

"I-I know that!" I could practically feel Erika pouting on the other side of the door. "I just wanted to say good luck! Again! Or is it 'break a leg'?" She was fumbling, I could tell.

I huffed a gentle chuckle. "Do you need Espeon to use Calm Mind on you?"

"No, no, I trust you... I'm just so, so proud of you Sabrina. And excited! I love you babe!"

"I love you too. I'll see you out there, okay? If you see me stare directly into your eyes during the performance, it means your celebrity girlfriend is thinking of you." I said coolly.

Well, it was _meant_ to sound like something a movie star or idol might say, but I ended up blushing like an idiot while I was saying it.

"G-geeze..." I heard Erika mumble a squeak behind the door. "Oh! Good afternoon, Zuki!"

"Hi Erika. She being a diva and not letting you see her before the show? Hopefully she'll let me in, since I run the place and all." Another knock on the door.

"Come in." I said towards the door with a playful eye-roll; of _course_ Zuki was allowed in. More than anything, I just wanted to tease Erika.

I heard the door opening, followed by some of Erika's melodramatic mumbling and some giggling from Zuki. "Get yourself seated Erika, the show's going to start soon." She said.

"All right, all right. You can do this Sabrina! You're gonna be amazing!" I heard Erika's enthusiastic cheer-leading again through the door, before she skipped off to the auditorium.

She was really, really anxious for me. She'd been hesitant to leave me alone since we arrived here together this morning.

So I'd just have to prove to her that she had nothing to worry about!

Zuki closed the door behind her and waited for me to emerge from the changing area. "I know you're more comfortable doing makeup for yourself, but please let us help next time. How are you feeling?"

She cleverly suffixed her insistence with a question, making it difficult for me to object. "I feel pretty good," I said, "I'm nervous, but it's a quiet, determined nervousness."

After looking me up and down for a moment, Zuki beamed and nodded confidently. "As expected of you, Sabrina... you look incredible. You ready to head up to backstage?"

It really was almost that time already, huh. I gave her a steadfast nod, and another nod to my Pokémon. Then, we all followed her out the door.

"How's the auditorium looking?" I couldn't help but ask nervously, "Is it busy out there?"

"You already knew this, but the first show totally sold out. So yeah; it's packed." Zuki chuckled.

She then paused for a moment as she continued to lead us down the hall. "You know... This really is fascinating timing, for all sorts of reasons. It's actually kind of astonishing how you've lined this up, I can't imagine you intended it."

I tilted my head curiously, then looked back to Alakazam. He simply tilted his own head and shrugged.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Are there loads of tourists at the moment?"

"Mm... no, it's..." Zuki shook her head, continuing to walk as an intrigued smile set on her face. "Something extraordinary is happening in Johto lately. You're holding this show just as the Legendary Pokémon are beginning to stir... it's just an incredible coincidence."

I gave her an incredulous smirk. "Do you mean those beasts from the Burnt Tower? Morty and some caped guy were ranting to me about that when we arrived earlier. It all just sounds like rumours on the wind to me."

"No, not that. That's only _part_ of the coincidence," Zuki chuckled to herself, "I speak of the awesome statues you see around the shrine... of Lugia, and Ho-Oh."

'Incredulous' no longer did justice to my expression. "No way." I mumbled under my breath with a stiff smile. What an absurd idea.

Zuki simply giggled again, as we arrived at the stage entrance. We could hear the unmistakable chattering of voices on the other side of the curtains... a huge number of voices.

"The other Kimono Girls and I will be backstage the whole time to help out if need be, but I don't think you'll need it." She shot a sweet, sanguine smile at me, before giving me a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"You ready? This is it."

I turned to my Pokémon. "What do you guys think?"

My treasured partners and friends who I'd battled and trained with for so long. Whose experiments with me on so many telekinetic tricks and elemental moves had led us here together today.

"Alakazam. Espeon. Mr. Mime. Jynx. Wobbuffet. Gallade." I nodded affirmatively to each one of them, a confident and assured grin on my face.

"I met almost all of you for the sake of battle... for the sake of furthering our abilities as psychics... but despite that, you've all worked so hard for something so unorthodox with me. Not only that, but I think we've all had a really great time doing it!" My grin became a bright beam of gratitude, as I patted them or gave them grateful handshakes.

Espeon yipped happily and rubbed my leg. Mr. Mime mimicked some tears of emotion. Jynx bowed dramatically. Wobbuffet gave me a steadfast salute. Gallade held a determined fist in front of his face.

Alakazam simply stared me in the eyes, and nodded with a smile.

And I smiled back. We all knew how each other felt, they all genuinely enjoyed exploring psychic abilities as an expression of creativity with me... and we were going to go out there and create incredible things together. We were going to show people the fantastical natural beauty of Pokémon!

"I couldn't be _more proud_ of all of you. _Let's do this!_"

The lights shut off in the auditorium, signalling the chattering to quiet to a stop.

I sailed out onto the stage in the dark. The tail of my long dress glided eerily behind me, teasing a subtle glow almost reminiscent of moonlight.

I stood in silence in the centre of the stage, resolute, but excited.

I was nervous... but I was happy.

A huge, excited, theatrical grin spread from cheek to cheek.

And the centre stage light beamed on over my head.

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**(notes: **_**_A new era is beginning, a new chapter in Sabrina's life. It may seem like her focus is shifting quickly, but the whole of "Sabrina" has been leading her to this! Sabrina starts to really learn that she has the power to inspire others, and she's about to prove it to herself and to everyone else around her._**

**_The chapter title is longer this time to reflect the new era, and I'm sure a lot of readers will pick up on the small references to HGSS both in the title and the chapter itself._**

**_The final two chapters are also, kind of, one big chapter. This is ALL the finale, the conclusion to the story that started in 2017 with "Erika"._**

**_This chapter especially, marks this story's conclusion of Sabrina and Erika's relationship arc. They both seem like they've become really healthy parts of each other's lives, don't they?_**

**_It also brings Sabrina's journey as a person to a head. Sabrina's struggles with inspiration, filling in the emotional holes in her life, it all comes full circle here._**

**_There are some throwbacks to chapters of "Erika", such as Sabrina recalling how she felt and how different she was back then. I was happy to finally include Erika's Gym Trainers again, as they hadn't been mentioned in "Sabrina" thus far. Those old "Erika" chapters perhaps haven't aged amazingly, but reigning them in at the story's climax makes Sabrina's arc feel much tighter._**

**_Lastly... the whole story started out with just Sabrina, Erika, and Alakazam. I wanted to give Sabrina some emotionally significant moments with her two oldest friends, before she takes this huge step._**

**_If you've read this far, can I expect you to join me for the finale two weeks from now?  
_****_Thank you all so much for reading, and for your support. I'll see you then!_**_**)**_


	17. (To Inspire)

**_(Thank you notes: The very first chapter of "Erika" was titled "(Inspiration)". It was the first piece of fanfiction I had ever uploaded onto a fanfic site, back in late-2017, as well as the first piece of solid creative writing I had done in years._**

**_With this chapter, "(To Inspire)", I feel like I've come full circle as well as finally finishing the overall story I've had in my mind ever since then._**

**_Deciding to start writing fanfiction was a result of inspiration for me as well; a combination of headcanon conversations with my close friend Kagura, as well as realisation that I could bring my interpretations of the characters I love to life through writing. Thanks to my fanfic journey beginning with "Erika" two years ago, I've gone on to write some things that have made me really excited and proud of myself._**

**_To the people who've enjoyed this weirdly long story about Sabrina, about my rare-pair "femmegymshipping", and about the Pokémon world: you're all part of what kept me going and kept me inspired to finish it through all my moments of doubt._**

**_To everyone who's read this far, I really cannot thank you enough, and I truly hope you've enjoyed your time with Sabrina and Erika's story together._**

**_Listening to credits music from Pokémon games while reading this really drives home the feeling of conclusion. This is it!)_**

* * *

**x**

* * *

I stared out over a sea of darkness. Obscured figures, difficult to make out under the spotlight, all staring back. An indescribable amalgam of feelings bubbled up within me, filling my pounding heart to the very brim.

... Scratch that. My heart alone couldn't contain this warm, excited, confused, scared, loving, anxious, overjoyed sensation. It was hot, it was overwhelming, and I felt it now in _every corner_ of my body.

But it wouldn't consume me. It was actually quite... nice?

It was mine, after all.

I melodramatically cleared my throat with a loud _*AHEM*_. Then... I opened my mouth, and spoke clearly.

"Hi!" I said, with a bright smile and a friendly wave.

Muted chuckles murmured out from the sea of audience. I expected some theatregoers would feel a little anxious, not knowing what to expect. As planned though, the stark contrast between my cool indigo open-back dress and my casual mannerisms surprised people and helped them to relax.

Seeing this reaction, the smile I wore calmed into a more genuine and comfortable one; and I was surprised to find that _**I**_ was relaxed too. I shot a glance to my bracelet out of curiosity, to see it pulsing as calmly as my composed breathing.

I mean, of course! I was a natural at this! I was nervous people wouldn't like it, sure, but I had already worn the celeb thing like a glove on and off for so many years. Doing something in which _I_ was in total control of my image only further eased my mind.

"So... no one knows what to expect from me today," I began to pace sleekly about downstage centre as I spoke, "Which is good, by the way! I want to show you all something new." The tail of my dress glided along behind me as I walked.

"I want to show Johto and Kanto the incredible intricacies of psychic abilities... how they can mingle with and bring out sublime beauty in the fascinating world around us, and in Pokémon."

I outstretched my left palm above my head, catching an Energy Ball move that Alakazam had sent sailing from an obscured position backstage. I walked around downstage with the ball - brimming, swirling, pulsing - suspended in the air above my hand.

I brought my other hand over, filling it with my own energy until it shined bright like the sun. I sculpted it into the shape of a tree. I diced it into hundreds of little leaf-like shapes.

Then; I waved my arm wide over the audience, dispersing what remained of the Energy Ball in a glittering display of fluttering leaves and sparkling spores that danced, scattered, and dissipated across enchanted eyes.

I spotted Erika, hands clasped together under her chin. Her eyes sparkled beneath the dazzling glow; a proud smile on her captivated face as she gazed up at me.

I noticed other familiar faces on the front row thanks to the illumination as well! Mostly people I'd sent tickets to.

Let's see... Valerie, Misty, Brock, Lorelei, Karen, Jared, Franklin, Michelle, Tanya, Julia, Amanda... and of course, Will. I could see Whitney too! She must have snagged Jasmine's unused ticket.

Excited beaming of various intensities decorated their expressions, with Karen gripped onto a giddy Lorelei's arm, and Amanda's eyes fixed on me with a proud and nostalgic smile.

Sure Will didn't look too impressed, but that made sense. This probably wasn't anything he hadn't seen before - yet!

"Before I really get started, I want to quickly thank a couple of the people who made this possible," I said, "First of all, the Elite Four's Will, for his shows that have already inspired a new generation of psychics!" I gestured towards him with theatrical enthusiasm, inviting a round of applause. He wore a plastic but slightly flattered smile as he waved vaguely into the audience and waited for the applause to calm.

"And naturally," I made my way back to the centre of the stage, "Erika... My incredible girlfriend. The best friend I've ever had." I gestured towards her, a playfully fiendish grin on my face, "Someone who has inspired and opened my eyes to _so much_ beauty in this world, that my entire life has changed."

Erika, of course, went bright red, barely resisting the urge to hide her face as the audience applauded her. When she sat up straight again and nodded, elated tears were building in the corners of her eyes. I nodded back with an adoring smile of my own, before looking back out to the audience and continuing more loudly.

"I know now that inspiration isn't some special ability or power. It's not something elusive granted only to a select few. There are incredible things all around us. _Anyone_ is capable of finding their own ways to show others the world's beauty, or the beauty we see in each other.

Ladies and gentlemen, humans and Pokémon, that's exactly what I hope to show you all today!"

Bowing my head to further applause, the lights began to dim again.

"Now, I won't keep you all waiting any longer... please enjoy the show!"

Stage-lights, remaining on me and my radiant dress, steadily dimmed to a dull beam. However, my outfit's blue glow curiously continued to dull even after the light had finished dimming.

The longer the colour darkened, the more obvious it became to the audience that there was some sort of animated darkness wreathing around it.

My deep indigo dress now appeared almost dark purple, its shine completely diminished as if bellows of smoke had rumbled through the pigment of the gown itself.

Then: the sound of muted awe and adulation from the gallery, as a conspicuous lilac peeked and teased out from its dark purple curtain of colour.

I raised my arms to the air, revealing that the image of none-other than Espeon had appeared, somehow projected on the frock itself. Coiling down to the bottom of the dress, he seemed to emerge physically at its tail to rub against my leg.

I suspected starting out with this would be popular! A re-imagining of the one-time performance I put on with the Kimono Girls last year, something that many were disappointed to have missed out on.

With this, the audience was probably captivated.

Espeon pranced around me three times, yipping happily, eerily shadowed by the animated bellows reflected in my dress. Espeon then stopped at the tail of my dress, staring curiously at the peculiar smoke, and put his own tail to it.

Suddenly, the purple smoke dominating the pigment of my dress appeared to waft downward, as if vacuumed by Espeon's tail.

All the 'smoke' now drained from it, my gown was left an impressionable magenta colour that shimmered even more brightly than before.

Yipping proudly, Espeon leapt to downstage centre and whipped his tail into the air - suspending a deep, dark, pulsating orb above it.

Espeon then pranced lightly up through the air, as if climbing an invisible staircase spiralled around me, and settled on my shoulder.

"This colour's much better!" I said, affectionately ruffling Espeon's chin with the side of my hand, "That 'Jujube Magic Queen' look was a little intense, right?" I joked, referring to the almost villainous dark colour my dress had been before.

This self-aware image-change joke got another quiet chuckle out of the audience, and I could tell they were relaxing more. I couldn't help but wonder how many audience-members felt like they were seeing a side of me that they had no idea existed before.

"So you may be wondering why the colour of my dress seems to have a mind of its own, but a magician never reveals her secrets," I tilted my head and curiously tugged at the skirt, the fabric pulsing a vivid aqua colour at each point my fingers touched. "Though I must confess I'm a psychic not a magician, and I think my Wobbuffet is around here somewhere using Mirror Coat."

... And a slightly louder and more willing round of laughter from the crowd, as they became more and more comfortable with the unexpectedly light tone of the show.

Now that I had established the mood, the real meat of the performance began. Or would it be more accurate to say the set menu?

"Still, what to do with that dangerous Shadow Ball..." I pondered out loud at the dark orb floating eerily above myself and Espeon, casually introducing the next segment.

Acting as if searching for a resolution to an off-script mishap, I had Espeon use Baton Pass with Jynx, who then manipulated her Blizzard with me to seal the Shadow Ball into a case of ice. We then kept the orb suspended, revolving ominously in the air.

Just like I had done with the Koffing, that time on Cinnabar.

Only rather than fire light, _this_ orb of ice refracted the eerie darkness of a Shadow Ball when stage-lights beamed through it.

It was uncanny to behold, like an alien phenomenon; but it was still something that existed all around us, within the nature of Pokémon. Even _I_ couldn't quite get used to how something could 'glow with darkness' like this, and the audience was utterly captivated.

Before things could get stale though; I called Gallade out to use Night Slash on the orb, the Dark Type move cleaving and completely neutralising the encased Ghost Type move.

Just like that, the move dispersed. Darkness fizzled away, eaten by light in the air, leaving a _*thunk*_ as the ice fell limply to the stage in empty halves.

Hollow ice bowls that became the basis of the next segment.

Alakazam emerged from backstage, waving playfully at the crowd as he did so. He was _surrounded_ by spoons, dozens of them, which elicited soft laughter from the audience.

A popular classic among psychics, myself and Alakazam bent and moulded spoons into a myriad of different shapes and sizes. The twist? These dozens of differently shaped spoons were then used to play a strikingly complex series of sounds by drumming them against the hollow ice using telekinesis.

Between just the two of us and these two ice drums, we played the entire melody and percussion of the popular theme tune to Goldenrod Radio's "Lucky Number Show".

See, rather than one large performance, I had a lot of little things planned that were intended to build on or compliment one another. I wanted to show people so, _so_ many different things, but I didn't want them to seem random or unsatisfying. I wanted to introduce fascinating ideas and then satisfy that fascination with exploration.

I aimed to smoothly segue from one theme to another, I intended to punctuate each awesome and otherworldly spectacle with a more grounded or creative twist on telekinesis.

For example, following the creepy curiosities of Shadow Ball with a unique musical performance on icy drums. Followed by...

"Hmm, this ice is melting pretty quickly." I noted with a performed frown. Intentional, of course. "Guess we should do something about that, Jynx?"

Jynx then returned to the stage and began to conjure up another Blizzard move; only this one kept going.

We telekinetically crafted the huge mass of snow and ice around us, to gasps among the gallery, completely transforming the stage into something that looked more like an exquisitely furnished room made entirely of ice.

With the way the stage-lights beamed through, everything glowed iridescently. Each sharp contour in the ice was so meticulously crafted, yet the light refraction often blurred illusions of where furniture ended and floors or walls began.

I could see Lorelei's eyes glowing with awe from the front row, her fists gripped in excitement. I gestured for Jynx to sit herself down on the ice couch at left-centre, while I made my way into the ice kitchen further upstage.

"So, this is actually an exact replica of a room in Lorelei's house on Four Island." I joked, getting some laughs from the audience, "But I've always wondered how she makes tea with an ice kettle?"

Lorelei and Karen's booming laughter was especially easy to make out.

I turned the ice-tap, and water prepared beforehand filled up the kettle. It all being very translucent made it a little difficult to make out, but I held the kettle up to the audience to show it was filled before setting it down on the ice-counter.

I held a green-glowing hand over the kettle, using telekinesis to vibrate, heat, and quickly boil the water.

The kettle, of course, melted.

"Ah."

Water bubbled up and spilled out of melted gaps in the kettle, splashing to the ice-counter and starting to melt that too before quickly cooling down.

"Okay, let's try that again." I said with gusto, causing more laughter as I set to boiling another ice-kettle of water.

Once again the ice melted. This time however, the water _remained_.

It appeared suspended, bubbling away in an invisible orb in the air. I turned to sift some matcha powder into a couple of ice cups, then added the hot water to them. Again, the cups melted, but the matcha tea I had finished preparing remained suspended in the air.

I gently took the seemingly-invisible cups in my hands, "It's piping hot..." I said, handing Jynx a cup before walking downstage towards the audience. We both sipped carefully at the tea, then breathed out deeply. "Ahh... that's better." I gave a relaxed mumble.

As we drank the tea and relaxed though, the walls and furniture melted more and more quickly around us. By the time I had finished I span around to see that everything had melted, the slapstick vibe generating laughter.

"Well, Jynx is out of PP, so no more ice tea." I lamented. I tossed the invisible cup over my shoulder, which was followed by the disembodied noise of something shattering and more laughter from the audience.

So how was I holding water in invisible objects like this? It's something the crowd wanted to know as well; and they suspected they may get their answer after I bumped into an invisible wall where the ice had previously been. All the while, Jynx had remained sat comically on a now-invisible couch.

The almost slapstick-like nature that the ice-room performance had shifted into became the focal point of the next segment, as Mr. Mime shuffled awkwardly out from backstage to sounds of realisation and applause.

Using Mr. Mime's Reflect and invisible wall abilities made for a lot of similarly-themed jokes in what was essentially a psychic comedy routine between the two of us, with the highlight being Mr. Mime's use of Skill Swap to have us act as one-another for the remainder of that segment.

Of course we hadn't _really_ swapped bodies, but telepathy could make it sound to the audience like my voice was coming from Mr. Mime's mouth, and I would communicate via miming instead. It was like a really funky, psychic-styled ventriloquism.

Even after the segment had finished, Mr. Mime still acted as 'me' as she made her way to the front of the stage to address the audience, "Now for the next segment, we're going to be doing a little capoeira!"

Gallade came out from backstage and faced me. I, still acting as Mr. Mime, nervously faced back. Gallade bowed elegantly, but I comically panicked.

"If you don't want to do capoeira with Gallade, you should Skill Swap us back to normal!" My voice appeared to come from Mr. Mime's amused mouth, marking the final laughter cue for the comedy segment.

I returned from pretending to be Mr. Mime and stood alongside the other Pokémon to bow for the audience, before most of my co-stars moved upstage.

I then turned to Gallade. We bowed to one another, and took fighting stances.

The idea behind this segment was for Gallade and myself to use telekinetic illusions and sounds, to deepen the perceived impacts of our dance-like attacks and evasions. A fairly liberal interpretation of capoeira, but the concept was close enough.

Illusions distorted our bodies in an almost cartoon-like ways at times, making the clashes seem superhuman. My upstage Pokémon's moves punctuated each striking move of the performance with brilliant lights and sounds; Alakazam's Energy Ball making Gallade's sharp arms pulse a vibrant green, Mr. Mime's Thunder giving my kicks a distinctive spark.

Telekinesis lifted us both from the ground as the performance escalated, making it appear as if we were dancing and fighting through the air. First we floated over the stage, then we began to soar across the audience.

My gown shimmered from one hue to another, taking a more ferocious red every time I was on the attack, relenting to a cool blue whenever I evaded or took defence, but so subtle that it was only noticeable after it became a pattern. The tail of my dress followed me like a Pokémon's tail as we clashed in mid-air, glowing and shimmering brilliantly in the now myriad colours of stage-lights and Pokémon moves.

The intensity and momentum of the performance accelerated until one final crash, when energy erupted between the pair of us to fill the air with an awesome, wave-like glow.

It was a spectacle right out of a movie, only the audience was seeing this right before their eyes!

That was what I told myself in reassurance at least... because as we drifted back to the stage and bowed again, my face was just as red from the self-consciousness of physically dancing and fighting as it was from the exhilaration.

'_Exhilaration..._'

I stared out over the crowd, smiling and waving, trying to catch my breath.

"Thank you! Thank you all!" My Pokémon and I all bowed, then bowed once more.

After waving for a few more moments, I swivelled around on the spot, and all of us save for Wobbuffet returned backstage. This was part of the performance too, of course, but I was shocked at just how badly I needed to take a breather... wow. All our rehearsals couldn't have prepared me for how much performing passionately for people like this made my heart race.

"How's it going?" Zuki muttered in hushed tones, as she handed me a towel and a glass of water with a grin. "Judging by that smile on your face, I'd say pretty good."

To be honest, I could hardly hear her over the sound of crowds shouting "More! More! Use Encore! Use Encore!" while Wobbuffet wobbled back and forth, clapping her hands together.

I put my hands on my hips, still kept trying to catch my breath, but my cheeks almost ached from how much I was smiling.

This feeling... this exhilaration...! I... actually couldn't wait to get back out there!

And the audience liked it... they really, genuinely liked it!

This driven urge to show them even more amazing things about psychic abilities and Pokémon... this confidence that **_I_** was capable of making them feel so strongly... I felt... inspired.

_I felt inspired... to inspire!_

"It's going... great." I finally gasped, beaming warmly at Zuki.

I gave all my Pokémon a confident, proud nod, and we headed back onstage for the encore.

I drifted aloofly downstage, flicking my hair behind me, still struggling to keep an inspirited smile from my face.

"Well, Wobbuffet just used Encore, so looks like we don't have a choice." I mumbled and gave the proud Wobbuffet an affectionate petting, to cheering from the audience.

I stood at the very front of downstage-centre, my eyes gleaming and glittering with exhilaration as I looked over the gallery. My Pokémon all took my side once again, and the applause eventually calmed.

"Before our grand finale, I want to say something." I started, standing back slightly and letting my Pokémon take the front of the stage.

"My Pokémon may be strong..." I held my hand to my chest, looking to each of them, "And... yes, I may seem tough myself.

But I'm more than that. We're _all_ more than that.

I love these Pokémon. They're my favourite Pokémon, and not just because they're strong, or because we can do all these incredible things together... but also because they stay by my side no matter how life changes." I gazed at them with a proud, doting smile. "Thank you all, my treasured friends."

I started to clap slowly. Mercifully, any brief anxiety that this wouldn't work was short-lived, as before too long the audience was clapping with me.

Still smiling warmly at my team, they all clamoured at me for a group hug. I briefly caught Alakazam's gaze in my own, and I could have sworn his eyes were slightly red.

"But..." I span back to the audience with a giggle, excitement beaming from my face "_Anyone's_ Pokémon can inspire like this! That's why, for our _final _performance of the day...

are there any Pokémon out there who want to come up and _perform with me?_"

The audience, confused and intrigued, began to chatter among themselves.

I outstretched my palm, tugging a few chunks of rock from Gallade's Stone Edge move, then slowly easing one of Alakazam's Energy Ball moves into it.

"My Pokémon and I can turn your Pokémon and their moves into stars, who mystify and amaze..." I held the moves in the air in front of my glowing eyes, the Grass Type move slowly eating and chipping away at the Rock until it was a glowing cloud of sand. "... As easily as that."

Then, the soft sand and dew-drop like life-energy trickled into and slipped from my hands.

"Plus, it's really fun up here." I beamed brightly. "All of my Pokémon think so, right?"

Immediately, my Pokémon all began excitedly nodding and chattering, bouncing around together in giddy cheering.

Either way, their assurance was hardly needed.

Within moments, all kinds of Pokémon were making their way onto the stage. Sneasel, Hoppip, Quagsire, Squirtle, Growlithe, Stantler... Sunflora, Mismagius, Azurill... too many Pokémon to name!

"Ladies and gentlemen...

Humans and Pokémon..."

I held my arms out theatrically, my hands and eyes glowing a brilliant, passionate, paranormal green.

"Allow me to bring the natural beauty of your _own Pokémon_ to life, before your very eyes!"

* * *

"Bonne après-midi, Kalos! This is Alexa coming to you **_live_** from Johto's storied Ecruteak City Dance Hall, where people are just now digesting a hot new act hoping to take the fields of Psychic Pokémon _and_ theatre by storm! How's about we get some first-hand impressions?

Bonjour, petite fille, it's so nice to meet you and your adorable Eevee! I'm Alexa from Lumiose TV, et tu?"

"Uhm, uhm, nice to meet you, Alexa from TV! My name's Valerie!"

"What a cute name, Valerie! So what did you think of Gym Leader Sabrina's show today?"

"Ooomigosh! It was- it was _SOO_ amazing! A bunch of different Pokémon types were like, FWOOSH into the sky! Making colours and shapes and sounds I've never ever seen before! The lights and stuff were so mind-blowing, and her dress as so pretty!"

"Ooh _fantastique_! Our viewers won't be at all surprised to hear about Sabrina's sharp fashion sense, thank you so much Valerie. Now you go find your parents before they get worried, okay? Now let's quickly move over here, I think I saw... yep, that's Will from the Indigo League Elite Four! Bonjour, Will, remember me? It's Alexa from Lumiose!"

"Hm? Do I...? Sorry, sorry, can you give me a moment? I have some things I need to think about."

"Aw, shot down, viewers! But he seemed really focused, hunched over his notepad like that. Over here then, this cool-looking Ace Trainer. Bonjour, I'm Alexa from Lumiose TV! Can we get your _exclusive verdict_ on the show!?"

"Wh-who, me? S-sure I... sorry, I'm Amanda. I'm just... wow."

"Caught in a daze, non? What was your favourite part of the show, Amanda?"

"That's hard! That's really hard. I'm still trying to process it... so much of it, it was like. Sometimes it was like I totally forgot I was even in Ecruteak Dance Hall. She just... she like, transformed the entire auditorium with such surreal tricks and phenomena and I-... ahh."

"Well you sound like it's been quite overwhelming! Are you a fan of hers?"

"Fan...? Aha! Aha_haha_! I dunno... something like that. Arceus, I really gotta go. B-bye!"

"That look in her red eyes! Emotions are running high for some fans here tonight, and can you blame them? It's been Sabrina's first big performance since she became a Gym Leader and she's already captured so much fresh overseas attention since then too! Oh! There's one more familiar face, is that? Oui, I believe I have eyes on Sabrina's partner, Erika! Erika, Bonjour, this is Alexa from Lumiose TV! Can I get a comment on tonight?"

"Hello, Kalos! Please keep supporting my amazing Sabrina!"

"So did it go well? What was your favourite part?"

"Goodness, where to start? The final act was even more jaw-dropping than I expected it would be! The audience's Pokémon really were naturals!"

"For all our viewers in Kalos looking to take a trip to Johto this year, what can you tell them?"

"How to describe this... Pokémon of all Types climbed onstage, and Sabrina used their moves to suspend the essences of those types in orbs above the audience. The orbs ebbed from one Type to the next, like, Grass sizzled into Fire, which was flooded with Water, which was surged which Electricity, which was engulfed by Ground, and so on?"

"C'est beau! How on earth does that work?"

"Telekinesis is just another force of nature in the end! Skilled psychics like Sabrina can move not just solid objects, but things like liquid and fire."

"She can move hearts too, by the sounds of things!"

"Heehee, absolutely! Anyway, anyway! For the climax, these energies all released, bursting with an incredible cacophony of colour above our heads like... like fireworks, but made entirely of the nature in Pokémon all around us."

"Are you serious? This sort of thing is possible?"

"Oh, you poor thing! Did they not let you watch it yourself?"

"Non non it's okay, this is my first overseas assignment as a journalist, so I-!"

"You have to see it next time, okay? Make your company buy you a ticket! It'll make your job much easie-!"

"A-aand that's all from me tonight! As you can see, energy is high and now I'm really hoping I can get to see it myself somehow!

This has been Alexa at Johto's Ecruteak City Dance Hall! Au revoir!"

* * *

You know, the funniest thing happened in the days following my show's opening night.

Team Rocket! They suddenly announced that they had taken control of Goldenrod Radio Tower... but then, just like that, they were gone again.

I guess it doesn't _sound _that funny. I loathe Team Rocket, and it sucks that even Johto had to suffer through an attack... but it does feel pretty funny how quickly they were neutralised.

Like... a blip. Like it may as well have never happened.

They broadcast a call for their leader, Giovanni, but I'm told he never once showed his face in the end.

Team Rocket just... vanished. Almost in their entirety.

Anyway. The Team Rocket stuff was on the news, but most of the details I only found out because I got a surprise call from Lance a few nights afterwards.

Lance actually played a big part in defeating the Rockets this time, but there was someone else who was apparently even _more_ instrumental to their defeat...

"So, speaking of the kid who took down Team Rocket this time, guess who's not the Champion anymore?"

Lance gestured sheepishly to himself. My eyes widened in a mixture of intrigue and shock, but... the way he talked about this kid...

There was only one other person he wore that expression about.

"Does it feel weird? You weren't Champion for very long." I asked, though I had a feeling I knew how he'd answer.

Lance shook his head, his smile growing calm and proud.

"No. It feels right."

He really didn't seem bothered at all... he was at peace. "Going up against a Trainer like that..." He continued, "Someone you know loves Pokémon from the bottom of their heart... it's humbling. I'm more than happy for another kid like that to be Champion."

A smile slowly spread across my own cheeks, and... my heart started to race.

Familiar, excited emotions began to bubble up within me: an excitement for battle. Something I seldom felt nowadays.

I collected myself and my manners. Lance was calling those involved in the Team Rocket investigation, but I was still surprised that he had called _me_, of all people, and was casually chatting to me about the new Champion.

"So, what will you do now?" I asked, "Are you going to rejoin the Elite Four?"

An uncharacteristically relaxed shrug from Lance, and a lighthearted smile. "Not right away. To be honest, I'm not sure what I want to do now... maybe I'll keep hunting Rockets? Or seek out the Village of Dragons for training? It feels like the world is my Cloyster."

This free-spirited and inspired attitude was familiar, too... if the new Champion ever came to Kanto, then I-...!

"Ah, I should say there's another reason for me calling you today." Lance continued with a chuckle. "Well, it's actually for Karen."

"It's actually for Will!" Karen peeked her head over Lance's shoulder on the video phone, "Hi baby girl!"

"Hi, Karen." I squinted at her with a doubtful smirk. For Will? _Really?_ "So, how was the new Champion?" I asked.

"Let's just say I finally understand all that inspiration talk Lorelei was always going on about before she stepped down. I'm gonna come to Celadon for tea tomorrow okay? Anyway, lemme get Will."

Well, now I was just anxious. Why did Will want to talk to me, all of a sudden?

Though, considering Lance and Karen's excitement about the new Champion, I had a pretty good idea.

"Sabrina!" Will beamed down the video phone, his lips curled in an enthusiastic grin. "I trust you are having a marvellous day! I have many exciting ideas and concepts to discuss with you, so I will be attending for tea in Celadon City tomorrow, okay? Toodles!"

And just like that, without giving me or himself time to breathe, he hung up.

He was still a pretty awkward guy too, huh...

I flopped back onto the couch, suddenly a little overwhelmed by fresh excitement.

Still, that way Will suddenly spoke to me out of the blue, with that amicable tone. Treating me almost like a fond friend, after seemingly resenting me for so long...

It reminded me almost of...

"Sweetie, I'm home!"

* * *

The weather was gorgeous for our usual Celadon tea meetup the next day, not to mention everyone was in remarkably high spirits.

It was actually more like a party than the usual 'tea meetup' this week, due to the large number of people expected. We'd luckily booked Celadon Fountain Square to ourselves for the occasion.

Friends from Kanto and Johto had all come with praise for my smash hit opening night, and those who missed it were excited for the next performance dates. There was still the odd familiar face I was sad not to see, like Amanda... and no one had heard a word from Kiyo...

But there were some surprising faces, too!

Will really _did_ show up, and seemed to be genuinely interested in my creative process. It was as if he had completely reevaluated our clash back then, finally understanding that I really was being earnest.

Janine made an appearance, too. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention!

People had also come to congratulate Janine - because Baoba had finally found a new place to base the Safari Zone! Route 48, a Route to the west of Cianwood City that had only just recently been made safe for travel. Just as Blue had suspected, huh...

Who else? Misty bragging about how she could have sworn she saw some kind of Legendary Pokémon near Cerulean Cove recently, Lorelei bragging about how it was her idea that I catch a Jynx, Brock trying to solicit training advice from a stoic-as-always Bruno...

With such a huge group of famous Trainers, we did attract a bit of attention sure. But the paparazzi was already following me a lot lately anyway, so what could you do, right?

Plus, there was of course _another_ hot topic: the new Champion.

Us Kanto Gym Leaders were practically lining up to ask Karen and Will about them, and Whitney was enjoying the attention too.

Whitney's attention was mostly elsewhere, though.

When Jasmine arrived with Amphy, they both jump-tackled Erika into a tight hug.

"Get over here, sweetie." Erika looked at me from within Jasmine's embrace. I huffed a smile and awkwardly tried to get in on the hug, before Erika and Jasmine eagerly pulled me in and we all huddled tight together.

... I could see why Jasmine loved hugging Amphy so much. They were really warm...

"Amphy's all better!" Jasmine squeaked joyously at us, accompanied by Amphy's own happy squeaks. "Y-you'll never believe what happened! A kid from New Bark Town just went and got Amphy some medicine for me, e-even though they didn't have to! And then I battled them and... and... just, wow!?"

Comfortably sinking into the hug, Erika replied, "So, this Trainer... are they who I think...?"

Jasmine nodded against our shoulders, a bright grin across her pink face. "Mhm! They became the new Champion!"

A galvanised shiver ran through my spine... there it was again! That feeling I got last night! It was so familiar... could it really be?

"Uhm, I'm still really sorry I missed your show Sabrina..." Jasmine eased away from the hug, but the look she gave me was earnest... confident, and steadfast. "I'm definitely gonna see it next time though! And then, I'm gonna finally travel to Sinnoh and visit the Vista Lighthouse like I've always wanted to!"

My eyes lit up at her words, and I beamed proudly at her. "Don't worry about Amphy then, I'll take great care of them while you're gone."

Jasmine nodded at me, tears quietly building in her eyes before she threw her arms around me again. "Thank you, Sabrina... thank you so much for being my friend."

"I'm just glad you're both feeling better." I smiled warmly, giving her another squeeze. "It's great to see you both in such good spirits... it feels like we all really missed you."

"Damn right we did! _Make way_!" Whitney bellowed, crashing through and diving into the group of us as if emulating her Miltank's Rollout move. Suddenly, we were all pulled into a group squeeze once again.

Jasmine giggled comfortably, happily letting herself and Amphy get smothered in hugs. "I really want to thank all of you... I don't know where I'd be without you all." She scrunched her eyes shut, shining an elated smile to all of us.

Erika relaxed her eyes, a serene, peaceful and gentle air around her as always. "Mm... we all just need a little time to heal sometimes, in a world that always wants us to rush. You're stronger than you think you are, but we will _always _be happy to help you manage those burdens."

"Y-yeah, I know..." Jasmine squeaked, nodding joyously. "I just... I love you all, so much!

I'm so, so grateful to have such a wonderful group of friends!"

* * *

"Morning, Erika! Morning boss!" Jared chimed as he arrived for work the next day. As always he had gotten here a little early to help me set up, but this morning he had once again arrived before Erika had even left.

Erika and I were sitting together in the kitchen area, drinking tea. Erika was almost ready to go, but we liked to make the mornings last.

"Morning, Jared." I mumbled sleepily in between sips of tea. "I don't suppose you've heard anything from Amanda? I haven't seen her at all since opening night."

"Oh yeah." Jared's eyes briefly lit up, and he ducked down looking at his PokéGear. Erika and I curiously tilted our heads in the same direction before Jared continued, "I actually asked her if she wanted to hang out the other day, but yesterday I just got this dramatic message from her saying that she'd come back to battle us all again once she can defeat Will."

Erika giggled sweetly, seeming to relax a little. "Having a goal like that is going to turn her into a really strong Trainer, so you should be scared sweetie."

I guess Erika had been quietly worried about Amanda, as well.

"Well she'd better hurry up then." I leant back into my chair with a chuckle. "For all she knows, I'll be too busy being a famous movie star to run this Gym too much longer."

"Don't joke about that, Sabrina! What'll I do if you quit?" Jared pouted melodramatically.

I stood up and started to take mine and Erika's cups to the sink. "You could always join me in acting, the way you pout like that."

The three of us began to laugh lightly together, when suddenly...

_-Ring! Ring! Ring!-_

"Ah, that's my phone." I said, wandering through to the video phone. "Excuse me a second."

_-Beep-_

"Yo, Sabrina! And is Erika there with you?" Boomed none-other than... Lt. Surge!? The presence of his voice was so loud that there was no way Erika hadn't heard.

"Good morning, Surge!" Erika drifted into the conversation with a sunny smile, "It's been a while! You don't normally call, do you?"

I nodded. Surge was a good guy, but we didn't have much in common so we didn't exactly hang out much. I couldn't say he had ever called me himself before either.

"Yup." Surge crossed his arms and shot us a firm grin. "But today's hardly a normal day!"

... Again. My heart raced.

Not only that, my mind started hurtling through rapid visions of a person I didn't recognise. Flashes of a burning, passionate inspiration behind their eyes.

I subconsciously took a step forward to the phone, my mouth curling into a smile. "... I'm listening."

"Yeah, a psychic like you knows exactly where I'm goin', huh?" Surge seemed to love the look in my eyes, his own gleaming right back at me. "Get this... the _new Champion_ just blazed through here, and I'm pretty sure they're headed to _you next_!"

Yes... _yes_!

My smile spread into fired-up grin, my hair flaring up on-end, the cool air of my Gym's air conditioning tickling the back of my neck. I could scarcely contain myself...!

"... I see." I said calmly, though everything else about my body language screamed excitement.

"Do your best, Sabrina." Surge leaned in towards the camera with his own electrified smirk. "This kid is crazy strong. They seriously remind me of-."

"Yeah, I know." I eagerly interrupted, nodding a firm smirk back at him. "I've been waiting for this day. Gotta go!"

_-Beep-_

I span around, a fire in my eyes, my back straightened.

"Jared, let's get opened up for the day! It's gonna be a _big_ one!"

Even Erika couldn't keep herself from hopping around. She shovelled a few more grains of rice into her mouth, plucked up her Pokéballs and keys from the kitchen table and quickly pranced past me, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck to us both, babe!"

Jared was _very_ evidently confused. "Wh-where are you off to in such a rush, Erika?" He asked, holding his hand out. He wasn't used to seeing either of us this excited, and Erika was usually a lot more... graceful, when she left for work.

"Well, you never know!" Erika beamed back at us with a wink from the front door. "What if they decide to skip Saffron and go right to Celadon? I can't wait around to find out!"

And with that, she was gone.

I marched through the Gym's rooms, saying good morning to Rebecca, Darcy and Franklin and making sure they were all ready. My excitement was infectious, and each colleague I spoke to became more and more fired up.

This was it. It _had _to be!

_Today was the day that I saw in my vision,_ _three years ago!_

"H-hey, Sabrina! Wait up!" Jared seemed more spooked than I had seen him in months. "What the heck is this all about, anyway? I thought you weren't that fond of battling to begin with?"

Making my way back to my battle room, I span back to Jared with blazing thrill oozing from my demeanour. "You never did get to fight that kid from Pallet Town, did you?" I said with a grin so excited that it almost surpassed the feeling of exhilaration I felt on stage last week.

"Yes I dislike battling, but this... this feels different! This is the _new Champion_! After how much that kid three years ago changed my life, I _can't afford_ to miss this!"

Leaving a speechless Jared holding a hand over his own racing heart, I returned to my battle room.

Alakazam was, of course, ready and waiting.

'_This is a little nostalgic, isn't it Sabrina?_' He chuckled calmly, though I could tell a quiet flame had been ignited in his heart as well.

'_That kid from Pallet Town, three years ago..._' I mused sentimentally, staring up at the ceiling with a wistful smile.

'_I barely even knew them, but if I never met them... if I never battled them... was never inspired by them..._

_Would I have ever reconnected with Erika? Would I have met Jasmine? Whitney? Lorelei? Would I have become a better boss? Would I have discovered my **own power** **to inspire**?_

_That moment... that fire they lit in me... in all of us... in all our Pokémon..._

_If there are other people out there, who inspire everyone they meet like that..._

_I can't wait... I can't wait!_

_And I can't wait to see if we can inspire them in battle, too! With our own way we love the world, and Pokémon!'_

Alakazam came and stood by my side, '_Well put, Sabrina._'

His eyes glowed gently, as the bangles on my wrists pulsed an intense, passionate glow.

...

They were here.

The moment they locked eyes with me, an uncanny, otherworldly shiver shot from my **heart** and shook my very **soul**.

This look... their appearance... everything _about_ this child.

The kid from New Bark Town, where winds of a new beginning blow.

The new Champion of the Indigo League.

Looked... exactly like my vision, from three years ago.

It had never been more clear until this moment, but this child was not just any Trainer. That passion in their eyes, the feelings their Pokémon wielded...

My blood was boiling, my heart thumping, every emotion in my body itching to begin, to clash our wills, our inspirations, our experiences, our love of the world and of Pokémon into this one battle!

And somehow... I knew exactly what to say.

"I knew you were coming... Three years ago I had a vision of your arrival.  
You're after my Badge. I don't enjoy battling, but it's my duty as a Gym Leader to confer Badges on anyone who has proven themselves worthy.  
**Since you wish it, I will show you my psychic powers!**"

THE **END**

* * *

**x**

* * *

_**Glossary:**_

_**jujube - A fruit (also known as a "red date" or "Chinese date") that is known for its dark red/purple colour when dried. In Japan, jujube fruit is called "natsume", which is Sabrina's name-sake. "Jujube" is also the Japanese name of the PokéStar Studios character Sabrina plays, who has the Trainer Class "Magic Queen".**_

_**matcha - a finely ground powder used for making a Japanese green tea**_

* * *

**Chapter Notes:**

If you ever want to have an IRL Dragon Ball battle without getting hurt, just befriend a Gallade!

As with the final chapter of "Erika", I wanted to do something different. This time it was a performance, which was something I'd hoped to end "Sabrina" with since I started writing it. It was really challenging; I find dramatic stuff, action and effects difficult to convey excitingly in writing, so I really hope I was able to portray the performance in a way that was fun and flowed well.

The scene with Alexa was different too. There was no narration in that scene as Sabrina isn't in it, but I can totally imagine Sabrina watching it on TV at some point. Then of course, the scenes leading up to Sabrina's battle with Ethan/Lyra were a lot of fun, wrapping up Sabrina's arcs with Amanda, Will and Jasmine appropriately.

Really, the theme of this finale is... fun. Not an emotionally-charged climax like with "Erika", but something that shows how everyone has grown and what everyone's looking forward to. Sabrina started out this story doubting her connections to others, doubting her ability to make others feel, but ends up confidently taking her ability to inspire into her own hands. She's set off on the path that eventually leads her to becoming a PokéStar Studios actor! And even more importantly, she finally loves and appreciates herself!

While not an emotional final chapter though, it would be putting it lightly to say that writing this fills me with complex emotions. I'm relieved I finally wrapped up everyone's stories, I'm shocked it ended up as big as it did, and I'm also sad to say goodbye to it.

* * *

**Reflections:**

So... wow. Over 2 years after I started writing "Erika", almost 2 years since I started posting it, and just over a week before the launch of Pokémon Sword/Shield, I've finally finished the story I set out to tell back then. I've been chipping away at "Sabrina" almost every week since February, and in the end it became my longest fanfic to date.

Why's it so big? "Erika" was my first ever fanfic, so I felt the need to fill the bits between character moments by introducing subplots... and in the end, I had a lot of subplots.

Then I cut the end of "Erika" short because I was having self-doubts about it, so when it came to finishing it with "Sabrina", I thought 'I don't want this to just be a glorified epilogue! I want to give Sabrina a character arc!'

Fleshing out a full character arc for Sabrina that had a satisfying climax, on TOP of wrapping up all the subplots I introduced in "Erika"? It was tons of work, and I think next time I write a big character-driven fic I'll be more careful with juggling so many plots.

Setting myself "upload once a fortnight" deadlines was also really tough. I stressed myself out a lot balancing writing new content with editing. I want to think more carefully about how I schedule and pace myself in the future.

Overall though, I'm really happy. "Erika" started out messy, but as the story evolved, things feel like they all came together into something solid I can be really proud of in the end.

* * *

**What's next?**

It's NaNoWriMo, but I plan to take a step back and focus on writing what's fun without necessarily uploading much/anything for a little while. This is also probably going to be my last "long" fanfic until sometime next year.

**Pokémon:**

This won't be my last Pokémon fanfic, but it may be the **last one I post to this website**.

Please visit my ao3 for Pokémon fics in the future, some of which may even continue these characters' stories in other ways. The community here has been extremely unpleasant and drama-filled, and the "staff" have apparently completely ignored requests to take down spam or hate.

**Touhou:**

For now, I plan to return to writing mostly Touhou stuff, since that's where a lot of my inspiration is at lately. I have multiple ideas for small Touhou fanfics and I'm looking forward to just letting loose with that for a while after this tough work.

For anyone interested in Touhou, my fic "A World Without You" about Yukari Yakumo is still definitely my best work, it's fairly accessible for Touhou newcomers and has an extremely gripping plot. Check it out!

* * *

Finally, **another huge thank you** to everyone who read this.

I never imagined so many people would read a long story about Sabrina and Erika, it really means the world to me.

See you all again soon!


End file.
